Copping to reality of party zones
Recent border violence has officials ratcheting up warnings to students
By TRACEY EATON / The Dallas Morning News
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – Tens of thousands of spring break partiers are headed for Texas' southernmost tip starting this weekend, venturing near the Mexico border despite a spate of violence in recent months.
That's OK, officials say, as long as students who decide to cross the border keep their wits. Brownsville and South Padre Island have been papered with fliers exhorting students to "party smart."
Among the tips: Visit during the day and early evening only; travel in groups; don't wear flashy jewelry or expensive watches; don't carry expensive cameras; avoid ATMs.
The border isn't the only destination stressing security – Americans who venture to Cancún will find the white-sand beaches patrolled by dozens of federal police officers.
Today marks the start of "Texas Week," when most of the state's big colleges have their spring breaks. At least 100,000 students are expected on South Padre, up from 75,000 last year.
The mayors of Padre Island, Brownsville and adjacent Matamoros, Mexico, reject the security warnings. Brownsville's mayor says Matamoros "hasn't gotten a fair shake."
One student, Harold Brooks, said he has heard about kidnappings of Americans, and he isn't interested in travel to Mexico.
He's also a rare bird in this regard: He doesn't plan to drink.
"My parents told me to be safe, and that's what I'm doing," he said.
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Cancún police on break, too
CANCÚN, Mexico – Spring break has arrived in this capital of overindulgence and uninhibited youth, and the signs are everywhere: pulsating music, throbbing bodies, MTV, rap performers 50 Cent and Ludacris, and Paris Hilton.
Oh, and the local cops are on strike – as are the firefighters.
"Mexico is chill," said Hilary Blenenke, 20, a sophomore at the University of Chicago. "Who needs cops anyway?"
When spring breakers from Texas and elsewhere hit the white-sand beaches this weekend, they will find them patrolled by dozens of federal police officers who were dispatched last week by the Mexican government to this resort in the state of Quintana Roo.
About 80 federal officers, including gray-clad preventive police whose ranks include military personnel, are patrolling the main tourist zone and coastline. Toting guns and rifles, they contrast sharply with scantily clad young Americans downing beers and working on their tans.
"They're a bunch of peeping Toms," Suzanne Romano, 19, a freshman at Boston College, said of the patrolling officers. "This is the third time in less than an hour that they walk past me, kicking up sand. And they can't even speak English, so I don't know what they're saying."
Officials say that Cancún, strategically located on Mexico's Caribbean coast, has become a center for Colombian cocaine, drug violence and government corruption. Last week, federal prosecutors jailed 27 police officers here, including local, state and federal policemen charged with drug trafficking and murder.
Last fall, six federal agents were executed, victims of what U.S. officials call a simmering turf war between the Juárez and Gulf drug cartels.
Local officials have said Cancún remains safe for tourists.
Tomás Morales, a local policeman who's moonlighting as a security guard for a money-exchange center until the strike is resolved, said about three-fourths of the 1,200 local police officers have been on strike over pay for 45 days, figures confirmed by strike leader Marco Apolonio Castillo.
In Cancún's downtown square, striking police and firefighters pass the time playing cards, watching TV or sleeping as music blares. Some sell their official police T-shirts to perplexed tourists for 200 pesos, about $19.
As a drunken teen with a stringy blond ponytail bobbed to the music, a federal policeman, who for security reasons gave only his first name, Ernesto, observed: "Cancún's problems are right here – the demand for drugs that these poor Americans can't shake."
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TIPS FOR PARENTS
•Talk to your college student about the health and personal safety dangers of excessive alcohol consumption – (i.e. alcohol poisoning, fighting, drunken driving and rape).
•Advise them to travel with a buddy, have money for taxis or public transportation, and carry medical insurance cards and condoms.
•If your child is using a tour company to plan the trip, ask to see any promotional materials. Make sure the company is reputable and isn't using excessive alcohol promotion to influence students.
•Ask your child to provide the names and numbers of hotels they will be staying in, as well as cellphone numbers of friends.
•Talk to them about your expectations and limits with regard to alcohol use.
Give them a prepaid calling card and establish a regular check-in time.
•Offer to cover the cost of an alternative spring break program.
•Teach your child to recognize the signs of alcohol poisoning.
•If your child is under 21, make sure the spring break destination has the same drinking age limitations as U.S. locations.
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research
News from the Lone Star State
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Cedar Creek water supply worries residents
By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8
CEDAR CREEK, Texas - More than 200 water systems in Texas are experiencing contamination problems associated with byproducts of chlorine.
One of these concerns residents along Cedar Creek Lake about 50 miles southeast of Dallas, who have been warned that drinking their tap water could cause disease and cancer.
At his home on the lake, Joe May offers his guests coffee - but he doesn't make it with tap water.
"No, can't use it - I'm not going to let you," May said. "Take a smell of that, and if you want to sip it, see what you think about the taste, then pour it down the sink."
The water drawn from the lake is treated in a small plant nearby. But May and his neighbors worry about letters they've gotten from their water company ECO Resources, which warn that some people who drink the water over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system. It also may increase their cancer risk.
"We get these letters that scare us that say it's going to cause cancer, and anybody's scared of cancer," said resident Johnny Bell.
"We spend more on bottled water per month than we pay for our water bill," resident Danny Hampel said.
The problem can be traced to trihalomethanes, dangerous compounds formed when chlorine mixes with organic matter in the water. In the area near the lake last year, THM was measured at two or three times acceptable levels.
In July, ECO Resources began using chloramine instead of straight chlorine, and water quality is improving although it failed for the first quarter 2005.
"We just had to change the way we disinfect the water," said ECO's Joyce Hubbard.
The compliance manager for ECO Resources told News 8, "it's probably a miniscule chance somebody would be sick."
But that's no consolation for the nearly 800 customers who got the warning letters.
"If what we are doing here today will save one person from losing a kidney, losing a liver, or dying of something that was caused by this water company, I think I would be just so grateful," May said.
The residents said poor water quality has been a dirty little secret at Cedar Creek Lake for too long, and they're tired of paying good money for bad water.
ECO Resources hopes by changing the disinfectant, the water quality should meet federal standards by the end of this year.
By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8
CEDAR CREEK, Texas - More than 200 water systems in Texas are experiencing contamination problems associated with byproducts of chlorine.
One of these concerns residents along Cedar Creek Lake about 50 miles southeast of Dallas, who have been warned that drinking their tap water could cause disease and cancer.
At his home on the lake, Joe May offers his guests coffee - but he doesn't make it with tap water.
"No, can't use it - I'm not going to let you," May said. "Take a smell of that, and if you want to sip it, see what you think about the taste, then pour it down the sink."
The water drawn from the lake is treated in a small plant nearby. But May and his neighbors worry about letters they've gotten from their water company ECO Resources, which warn that some people who drink the water over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system. It also may increase their cancer risk.
"We get these letters that scare us that say it's going to cause cancer, and anybody's scared of cancer," said resident Johnny Bell.
"We spend more on bottled water per month than we pay for our water bill," resident Danny Hampel said.
The problem can be traced to trihalomethanes, dangerous compounds formed when chlorine mixes with organic matter in the water. In the area near the lake last year, THM was measured at two or three times acceptable levels.
In July, ECO Resources began using chloramine instead of straight chlorine, and water quality is improving although it failed for the first quarter 2005.
"We just had to change the way we disinfect the water," said ECO's Joyce Hubbard.
The compliance manager for ECO Resources told News 8, "it's probably a miniscule chance somebody would be sick."
But that's no consolation for the nearly 800 customers who got the warning letters.
"If what we are doing here today will save one person from losing a kidney, losing a liver, or dying of something that was caused by this water company, I think I would be just so grateful," May said.
The residents said poor water quality has been a dirty little secret at Cedar Creek Lake for too long, and they're tired of paying good money for bad water.
ECO Resources hopes by changing the disinfectant, the water quality should meet federal standards by the end of this year.
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New TAKS scores worry school officials
1 of 4 fifth-graders fails reading; districts may still promote them
By JOSHUA BENTON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Giving a high-stakes test to 10-year-olds is proving more complicated than state officials may have expected.
One out of every four fifth-graders failed the TAKS reading test last month, officials announced Friday. That's slightly better than last year. But this is the first year that students have to pass the test to be promoted to sixth grade.
"We are concerned," Texas Education Agency spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson said. "We're going to have to do some analysis on the data and see what action we may need to take."
But if experience is any guide, some schools will still find ways to promote even the lowest-performing students. In some school districts, more than 70 percent of students who have failed the TAKS three times still end up advancing a grade – despite state officials' proclamations that social promotion has ended.
This year's fifth-grade scores were disappointing in districts across the state. In Dallas, 55 percent of fifth-grade students passed the test. In Grand Prairie, it was 74 percent.
"We had hoped it would be much higher," said Sue Harris, Grand Prairie's executive director of planning and evaluation. "But it looks like lots of people in the state were functioning at about the same level."
Texas' efforts to end social promotion began in 2003, when third-graders were first required to pass the TAKS reading test to move on to fourth grade. This year, the requirement extends to the fifth-grade reading and math tests. In 2008, eighth-graders will also have to pass the reading and math TAKS.
In all the affected grades, students get three chances to pass the TAKS. But even students who fail three times have one final opportunity to be promoted. For each failing student, schools assemble something called a grade placement committee, made up of the child's teacher, principal and a parent.
If all three agree the child should be promoted, he is.
Safety nets?
The grade placement committees were meant to provide a safety measure for good students who, for some reason, had trouble with the test. But their local nature also allows districts to have wildly varying standards about who gets promoted and who gets held back.
For example, in the Ector County ISD, 43 third-graders failed the 2003 TAKS test three times. But according to state data, 35 of them – 81 percent – were promoted to fourth grade anyway.
Contrast that with McAllen schools, where 74 students failed TAKS three times. Only five of those 74 were promoted to fourth grade.
In 2003, Waco promoted only 16 percent of its TAKS-failing third-graders, one of the lowest totals in the state. "We just don't believe promoting kids who can't do the work helps them," said Marsha Ridlehuber, Waco's assistant superintendent for accountability.
Grand Prairie doesn't promote many of its test-failing third-graders – about 22 percent in 2003. Ms. Harris attributed that to the close work the district does with the parents of struggling students.
"We keep the parent involved with us all the way through, so that when the kid doesn't do well, the parent realizes the kid does need more work and is cooperative," she said.
Wendy Hines, executive director of elementary education in Ector County schools, said there was no conscious push to promote more than four-fifths of its TAKS-failing third-graders. "Those decisions are made at the individual campus based on what's best for the child," she said.
Districts at both ends of the spectrum are acting within their rights. "These decisions are local decisions," said Ms. Culbertson, the TEA spokeswoman. "There are guidelines that have to be followed, but each decision is made for an individual child."
But the wide disparities between districts are surprising to some educators. "I'd just assumed everyone was going to do what we do and believe in ending social promotion," Dr. Ridlehuber said.
Disappointing outcome
The low scores of this year's fifth-graders were particularly disappointing to officials because the same kids had performed well under pressure before. This year's fifth-graders were the first group to take the high-stakes TAKS as third-graders two years ago and scored surprisingly well.
"We need to see if the students who didn't do as well this year were the same ones who did well before, or if they were new to Texas schools," Ms. Culbertson said.
Fifth-graders will get two more chances to pass the reading test this year, and history has shown that many are likely to improve their scores. Last year, 89 percent of students passed the high-stakes third-grade reading test on the first try. But about half of those who failed passed on their second attempt.
On the other hand, fifth-graders also have the math test to worry about. This is the first year Texas has required any of its students to pass a math test to be promoted.
The fifth-grade math test will be given on April 5, with the first retest of the reading test coming two weeks later.
1 of 4 fifth-graders fails reading; districts may still promote them
By JOSHUA BENTON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Giving a high-stakes test to 10-year-olds is proving more complicated than state officials may have expected.
One out of every four fifth-graders failed the TAKS reading test last month, officials announced Friday. That's slightly better than last year. But this is the first year that students have to pass the test to be promoted to sixth grade.
"We are concerned," Texas Education Agency spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson said. "We're going to have to do some analysis on the data and see what action we may need to take."
But if experience is any guide, some schools will still find ways to promote even the lowest-performing students. In some school districts, more than 70 percent of students who have failed the TAKS three times still end up advancing a grade – despite state officials' proclamations that social promotion has ended.
This year's fifth-grade scores were disappointing in districts across the state. In Dallas, 55 percent of fifth-grade students passed the test. In Grand Prairie, it was 74 percent.
"We had hoped it would be much higher," said Sue Harris, Grand Prairie's executive director of planning and evaluation. "But it looks like lots of people in the state were functioning at about the same level."
Texas' efforts to end social promotion began in 2003, when third-graders were first required to pass the TAKS reading test to move on to fourth grade. This year, the requirement extends to the fifth-grade reading and math tests. In 2008, eighth-graders will also have to pass the reading and math TAKS.
In all the affected grades, students get three chances to pass the TAKS. But even students who fail three times have one final opportunity to be promoted. For each failing student, schools assemble something called a grade placement committee, made up of the child's teacher, principal and a parent.
If all three agree the child should be promoted, he is.
Safety nets?
The grade placement committees were meant to provide a safety measure for good students who, for some reason, had trouble with the test. But their local nature also allows districts to have wildly varying standards about who gets promoted and who gets held back.
For example, in the Ector County ISD, 43 third-graders failed the 2003 TAKS test three times. But according to state data, 35 of them – 81 percent – were promoted to fourth grade anyway.
Contrast that with McAllen schools, where 74 students failed TAKS three times. Only five of those 74 were promoted to fourth grade.
In 2003, Waco promoted only 16 percent of its TAKS-failing third-graders, one of the lowest totals in the state. "We just don't believe promoting kids who can't do the work helps them," said Marsha Ridlehuber, Waco's assistant superintendent for accountability.
Grand Prairie doesn't promote many of its test-failing third-graders – about 22 percent in 2003. Ms. Harris attributed that to the close work the district does with the parents of struggling students.
"We keep the parent involved with us all the way through, so that when the kid doesn't do well, the parent realizes the kid does need more work and is cooperative," she said.
Wendy Hines, executive director of elementary education in Ector County schools, said there was no conscious push to promote more than four-fifths of its TAKS-failing third-graders. "Those decisions are made at the individual campus based on what's best for the child," she said.
Districts at both ends of the spectrum are acting within their rights. "These decisions are local decisions," said Ms. Culbertson, the TEA spokeswoman. "There are guidelines that have to be followed, but each decision is made for an individual child."
But the wide disparities between districts are surprising to some educators. "I'd just assumed everyone was going to do what we do and believe in ending social promotion," Dr. Ridlehuber said.
Disappointing outcome
The low scores of this year's fifth-graders were particularly disappointing to officials because the same kids had performed well under pressure before. This year's fifth-graders were the first group to take the high-stakes TAKS as third-graders two years ago and scored surprisingly well.
"We need to see if the students who didn't do as well this year were the same ones who did well before, or if they were new to Texas schools," Ms. Culbertson said.
Fifth-graders will get two more chances to pass the reading test this year, and history has shown that many are likely to improve their scores. Last year, 89 percent of students passed the high-stakes third-grade reading test on the first try. But about half of those who failed passed on their second attempt.
On the other hand, fifth-graders also have the math test to worry about. This is the first year Texas has required any of its students to pass a math test to be promoted.
The fifth-grade math test will be given on April 5, with the first retest of the reading test coming two weeks later.
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Mega Millions winner claims prize
Rowlett family plans to take its time with $68 million jackpot
By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News
ROWLETT, Texas - The rumors have spread online and in every corner of Rowlett. Now it's official: A family from the city won last week's $112 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot.
Dennis Cain claimed the lump-sum pre-tax prize of $68.2 million Friday on behalf of himself and his wife, Melissa.
"So that's why they had a limo here this morning," said Donna Hanna, a neighbor in the Cains' middle-class neighborhood. "They're really nice people. I think this is great."
Ms. Hanna said the Cains are very involved in their church. They are also devoted to their two sons and a daughter and are often seen carting the boys to their baseball and hockey games, she said.
"My wife and I have been together since 1978. We're high school sweethearts," Mr. Cain said in a Texas Lottery Commission news release. "I think we're just going to take our time with all this and enjoy it."
The ticket for the multistate lottery was sold at Dal-Rock Grocery on Chiesa Road and Lakeview Parkway (State Highway 66) in Rowlett. Owner John Kamali said he has spoken with friends and neighbors of the winning family.
"They've said they're very good people, very nice," said Mr. Kamali, whose store receives a $1 million bonus for selling the ticket. "They said they deserve every penny."
The March 1 drawing was the second time a Mega Millions jackpot has been won by a Texan since the state joined the lottery in December 2003. Last October, Ut Van Nguyen of Carrollton won a $101 million jackpot and claimed a $62 million cash-option prize.
Staff writer LaKisha Ladson contributed to this report.
Rowlett family plans to take its time with $68 million jackpot
By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News
ROWLETT, Texas - The rumors have spread online and in every corner of Rowlett. Now it's official: A family from the city won last week's $112 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot.
Dennis Cain claimed the lump-sum pre-tax prize of $68.2 million Friday on behalf of himself and his wife, Melissa.
"So that's why they had a limo here this morning," said Donna Hanna, a neighbor in the Cains' middle-class neighborhood. "They're really nice people. I think this is great."
Ms. Hanna said the Cains are very involved in their church. They are also devoted to their two sons and a daughter and are often seen carting the boys to their baseball and hockey games, she said.
"My wife and I have been together since 1978. We're high school sweethearts," Mr. Cain said in a Texas Lottery Commission news release. "I think we're just going to take our time with all this and enjoy it."
The ticket for the multistate lottery was sold at Dal-Rock Grocery on Chiesa Road and Lakeview Parkway (State Highway 66) in Rowlett. Owner John Kamali said he has spoken with friends and neighbors of the winning family.
"They've said they're very good people, very nice," said Mr. Kamali, whose store receives a $1 million bonus for selling the ticket. "They said they deserve every penny."
The March 1 drawing was the second time a Mega Millions jackpot has been won by a Texan since the state joined the lottery in December 2003. Last October, Ut Van Nguyen of Carrollton won a $101 million jackpot and claimed a $62 million cash-option prize.
Staff writer LaKisha Ladson contributed to this report.
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Sheriff silently working on county woes
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Where's Lupe?
After exploding onto the local public stage with her startling victory in the Dallas County sheriff's race last November, Lupe Valdez has quietly slipped from view.
Her public vanishing act has been more striking in recent weeks, as a series of scathing reports on conditions in the county jail and widespread computer problems there have put the facility in the spotlight. She has declined to speak publicly on these issues and declined several requests to be interviewed for this story.
But those who know and work with her say Sheriff Valdez is not missing in action. Instead, they say, she is methodically focused on the task at hand – engaged in a crash course on the sheriff's department, how it works and what it needs, and how to fix myriad problems she inherited.
"She's in the office, working with staff, trying to find solutions to the very tough issues the department faces," said Jaime Ramon, a lawyer and member of Sheriff Valdez's transition team. "And the public will be very pleased with some of the things that will soon be happening there."
Mr. Ramon said Sheriff Valdez has been interviewing candidates to fill the department's nine leadership positions she directly controls, including some candidates from outside the department.
In fact, the sheriff is days away from naming her new leadership team, said Sgt. Don Peritz, the sheriff's department spokesman. He said Sheriff Valdez also plans to ask the county commissioners to pay for an outside performance audit of the sheriff's department to examine how it functions. And she is working up a proposal for staffing increases at the jail, as part of her first formal budget request to county commissioners, he said.
"She's still gathering information about the jail and staffing, and once she has finished her assessment, she'll be ready to talk," Sgt. Peritz said. "She's trying to gather the information so she can ask the court for what the department needs. She's going to have to ask for more staff, that's clear."
He said she has not only been meeting with current department staff, but also with outside experts on jails and correctional health.
And it is clear she has already started building positive relationships with a group that had long shown an antagonistic attitude to her predecessor the county commissioners, who must approve any budget requests she makes. Though a Democrat, she has drawn public praise from the Republican commissioners.
Mr. Ramon also said the sheriff has met with other key groups, including the Dallas Crime Commission, a coalition of law enforcement, court and corporate leaders who discuss ways to battle crime.
Just a month into her new job, Sheriff Valdez faced her first crisis – a huge backlog of new arrestees waiting to be booked into the jail, stuck because of problems that developed as the county switched the jail over from an old mainframe computer system to a new system.
A few weeks later, in mid-February, a sharply critical study of the jail's health care programs, which the county had requested, outlined systemic staffing and physical plant problems that exacerbated some inmates' health problems and in some cases proved "life-threatening."
Then, at the end of February, a surprise inspection of the Dallas jail by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards resulted in a failing grade for the jail for the second year in a row.
The sheriff never commented publicly on any of these issues and caused some to wonder, "Where's Lupe?"
But some people think her silence on the subject was a smart move. One expert on local politics and public communication says Sheriff Valdez has been wise to keep out of the headlines in recent weeks, while other public officials debated the problems at the jail.
"Actually, I credit her for not trying to put her spin on these issues," said Rita Kirk, a communications professor at Southern Methodist University. "Her public presence would have served nothing but to put her face on the blame, and she's not the one to blame for the problems at the jail, at least not yet."
Ms. Kirk said the sheriff has the opportunity now to present a plan to fix the jail problems, and "be the face of the solution, rather than the face of the problem."
But Ms. Kirk said the sheriff would be remiss if she doesn't come forth with a plan relatively soon.
Communicating with the public through the media, Ms. Kirk said, "may be one of those things the sheriff still has to learn, too. When she comes out with her plan, she can use the feedback from the public to make the plan better. That way she'll get buy-in and public support, and that will help her when the next election comes along."
Some members of the sheriff's department staff who worked politically to unseat former Sheriff Jim Bowles have grumbled that the new sheriff made no changes among management since taking over.
"You've got to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'd have come in and done a scorched-earth approach to make a point," said Commissioner John Wiley Price, the lone Democrat on commissioners court. "But that's not her way. She operates differently."
Shortly after her victory last November, Ms. Valdez made it clear she would take a more tempered approach to personnel changes, arguing that she would begin with no preconceived notions, and that everyone would start with a clean slate and prove themselves for good or ill.
That's not to say she has refrained from gathering background information on current staff, her supporters say. Nor is she ignorant of their track records.
So far, Sheriff Valdez, the first Democrat to hold the office since the 1970s, and the first Hispanic ever, gets high marks from county commissioners, who hold the budgetary purse strings.
"We knew she was inheriting a mess, and you don't strike down a mess in two months," said Commissioner Maurine Dickey. "She has kept her head to the grindstone. She has so many crises to take care of. I admire her style so far. She's been a real team player."
Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield said he wants to include Sheriff Valdez on a new committee the commissioners are creating to tackle problems cited in the jail health study. He contends that many of the problems stem from the way jail guards, rather than health staff, treat inmates, particularly those with mental illnesses.
"She's got to make them understand they are an integral part of inmates' proper care," Mr. Mayfield said.
Commissioner Mike Cantrell said that when he met Ms. Valdez shortly after her election, she said the commissioners wouldn't hear a lot from her at first, until she had put together a game plan about how to address the department's management and personnel issues.
"That was good news to me, because those issues definitely had to be addressed," he said. "She's been very engaged in the issues, and has the right attitude, embarking on a course of action very methodically."
He also said that he would fully support Sheriff Valdez if she wants to bring in an outside company to audit the department's performance, policies and structure.
"I've had total cooperation from her management staff in all areas so far," Mr. Cantrell said. "There's more openness, more of a team concept, with everyone pulling in the same direction."
Noting that the department's leadership team is so far unchanged since Sheriff Bowles' departure, Mr. Cantrell said, "It's all about management."
Sheriff Valdez's approach, he said, "is a breath of fresh air."
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Where's Lupe?
After exploding onto the local public stage with her startling victory in the Dallas County sheriff's race last November, Lupe Valdez has quietly slipped from view.
Her public vanishing act has been more striking in recent weeks, as a series of scathing reports on conditions in the county jail and widespread computer problems there have put the facility in the spotlight. She has declined to speak publicly on these issues and declined several requests to be interviewed for this story.
But those who know and work with her say Sheriff Valdez is not missing in action. Instead, they say, she is methodically focused on the task at hand – engaged in a crash course on the sheriff's department, how it works and what it needs, and how to fix myriad problems she inherited.
"She's in the office, working with staff, trying to find solutions to the very tough issues the department faces," said Jaime Ramon, a lawyer and member of Sheriff Valdez's transition team. "And the public will be very pleased with some of the things that will soon be happening there."
Mr. Ramon said Sheriff Valdez has been interviewing candidates to fill the department's nine leadership positions she directly controls, including some candidates from outside the department.
In fact, the sheriff is days away from naming her new leadership team, said Sgt. Don Peritz, the sheriff's department spokesman. He said Sheriff Valdez also plans to ask the county commissioners to pay for an outside performance audit of the sheriff's department to examine how it functions. And she is working up a proposal for staffing increases at the jail, as part of her first formal budget request to county commissioners, he said.
"She's still gathering information about the jail and staffing, and once she has finished her assessment, she'll be ready to talk," Sgt. Peritz said. "She's trying to gather the information so she can ask the court for what the department needs. She's going to have to ask for more staff, that's clear."
He said she has not only been meeting with current department staff, but also with outside experts on jails and correctional health.
And it is clear she has already started building positive relationships with a group that had long shown an antagonistic attitude to her predecessor the county commissioners, who must approve any budget requests she makes. Though a Democrat, she has drawn public praise from the Republican commissioners.
Mr. Ramon also said the sheriff has met with other key groups, including the Dallas Crime Commission, a coalition of law enforcement, court and corporate leaders who discuss ways to battle crime.
Just a month into her new job, Sheriff Valdez faced her first crisis – a huge backlog of new arrestees waiting to be booked into the jail, stuck because of problems that developed as the county switched the jail over from an old mainframe computer system to a new system.
A few weeks later, in mid-February, a sharply critical study of the jail's health care programs, which the county had requested, outlined systemic staffing and physical plant problems that exacerbated some inmates' health problems and in some cases proved "life-threatening."
Then, at the end of February, a surprise inspection of the Dallas jail by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards resulted in a failing grade for the jail for the second year in a row.
The sheriff never commented publicly on any of these issues and caused some to wonder, "Where's Lupe?"
But some people think her silence on the subject was a smart move. One expert on local politics and public communication says Sheriff Valdez has been wise to keep out of the headlines in recent weeks, while other public officials debated the problems at the jail.
"Actually, I credit her for not trying to put her spin on these issues," said Rita Kirk, a communications professor at Southern Methodist University. "Her public presence would have served nothing but to put her face on the blame, and she's not the one to blame for the problems at the jail, at least not yet."
Ms. Kirk said the sheriff has the opportunity now to present a plan to fix the jail problems, and "be the face of the solution, rather than the face of the problem."
But Ms. Kirk said the sheriff would be remiss if she doesn't come forth with a plan relatively soon.
Communicating with the public through the media, Ms. Kirk said, "may be one of those things the sheriff still has to learn, too. When she comes out with her plan, she can use the feedback from the public to make the plan better. That way she'll get buy-in and public support, and that will help her when the next election comes along."
Some members of the sheriff's department staff who worked politically to unseat former Sheriff Jim Bowles have grumbled that the new sheriff made no changes among management since taking over.
"You've got to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'd have come in and done a scorched-earth approach to make a point," said Commissioner John Wiley Price, the lone Democrat on commissioners court. "But that's not her way. She operates differently."
Shortly after her victory last November, Ms. Valdez made it clear she would take a more tempered approach to personnel changes, arguing that she would begin with no preconceived notions, and that everyone would start with a clean slate and prove themselves for good or ill.
That's not to say she has refrained from gathering background information on current staff, her supporters say. Nor is she ignorant of their track records.
So far, Sheriff Valdez, the first Democrat to hold the office since the 1970s, and the first Hispanic ever, gets high marks from county commissioners, who hold the budgetary purse strings.
"We knew she was inheriting a mess, and you don't strike down a mess in two months," said Commissioner Maurine Dickey. "She has kept her head to the grindstone. She has so many crises to take care of. I admire her style so far. She's been a real team player."
Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield said he wants to include Sheriff Valdez on a new committee the commissioners are creating to tackle problems cited in the jail health study. He contends that many of the problems stem from the way jail guards, rather than health staff, treat inmates, particularly those with mental illnesses.
"She's got to make them understand they are an integral part of inmates' proper care," Mr. Mayfield said.
Commissioner Mike Cantrell said that when he met Ms. Valdez shortly after her election, she said the commissioners wouldn't hear a lot from her at first, until she had put together a game plan about how to address the department's management and personnel issues.
"That was good news to me, because those issues definitely had to be addressed," he said. "She's been very engaged in the issues, and has the right attitude, embarking on a course of action very methodically."
He also said that he would fully support Sheriff Valdez if she wants to bring in an outside company to audit the department's performance, policies and structure.
"I've had total cooperation from her management staff in all areas so far," Mr. Cantrell said. "There's more openness, more of a team concept, with everyone pulling in the same direction."
Noting that the department's leadership team is so far unchanged since Sheriff Bowles' departure, Mr. Cantrell said, "It's all about management."
Sheriff Valdez's approach, he said, "is a breath of fresh air."
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TexasStooge
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Man found not guilty in beating of mentally disabled man
By NANCY BARR CANSON / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
LINDEN, Texas – A white man accused of beating a mentally disabled black man at a 2003 pasture party was found not guilty of all three felony charges at the 5th District Court in Cass County on Friday.
Christopher Colt Amox, 22, facing the possibility of a life sentence, was given one year's probation for misdemeanor assault.
His mother sobbed with relief at the verdict, while family members of the victim, Billy Ray Johnson, 44, expressed shock and disappointment with the jury's decision.
"In my opinion, the state made its case," said Benjamin Dennis, president of the Texarkana NAACP. "But it's the jury's opinion that matters."
Supporters of Mr. Amox said they were pleased with the verdict. A family friend described him as "a nice young man who made a mistake."
The jury of seven white men, three white women, one black woman and one black man deliberated for two hours after an emotionally charged three-day trial. Racial epithets – alleged to have been used repeatedly on the night of the assault – were heard again and again in court testimony but attributed mainly to co-defendant James Cory Hicks, 25, to be tried at a later date.
Mr. Amox was found not guilty of injury to a disabled person, not guilty of injury by omission, and not guilty of aggravated assault with bias against African-Americans, nor with bias against the mentally disabled.
Defense attorneys Corky Stovall and Rick Shelton said they couldn't comment because of a gag order issued by presiding Judge Ralph Burgess. Prosecutor Tina Richardson said only that she was shocked at the outcome.
The prosecution had alleged that Mr. Johnson was brought to the party to dance and be ridiculed as "the evening's entertainment," and that he was victimized because of his race and disability when he was assaulted by Mr. Amox and left unconscious in a ditch.
Mr. Johnson, who had the mental capacity of a 7-year-old child before the assault, suffered brain injuries and permanent impairment to his speech and motor skills, according to Lue Wilson, Mr. Johnson's cousin and guardian, and requires care in a nursing home.
Witnesses said both the defendant and the victim were drunk when Mr. Amox slugged Mr. Johnson in the face at the pasture party, after an argument about music: country vs. rap.
Defense attorneys said Mr. Amox acted in self-defense and did not intentionally injure Mr. Johnson, who was in a coma for several days after the assault.
Mr. Amox, one of four men indicted in the 2003 assault, was the only defendant accused of striking Mr. Johnson, and he was the first to stand trial.
Two other defendants, John Wesley Owens, 20, and Dallas Chadwick Stone, 19, pleaded guilty earlier in the week to injury to a disabled person by omission, a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison.
No trial date has been set for Mr. Hicks.
Nancy Barr Canson is a free-lance writer based in East Texas.
By NANCY BARR CANSON / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
LINDEN, Texas – A white man accused of beating a mentally disabled black man at a 2003 pasture party was found not guilty of all three felony charges at the 5th District Court in Cass County on Friday.
Christopher Colt Amox, 22, facing the possibility of a life sentence, was given one year's probation for misdemeanor assault.
His mother sobbed with relief at the verdict, while family members of the victim, Billy Ray Johnson, 44, expressed shock and disappointment with the jury's decision.
"In my opinion, the state made its case," said Benjamin Dennis, president of the Texarkana NAACP. "But it's the jury's opinion that matters."
Supporters of Mr. Amox said they were pleased with the verdict. A family friend described him as "a nice young man who made a mistake."
The jury of seven white men, three white women, one black woman and one black man deliberated for two hours after an emotionally charged three-day trial. Racial epithets – alleged to have been used repeatedly on the night of the assault – were heard again and again in court testimony but attributed mainly to co-defendant James Cory Hicks, 25, to be tried at a later date.
Mr. Amox was found not guilty of injury to a disabled person, not guilty of injury by omission, and not guilty of aggravated assault with bias against African-Americans, nor with bias against the mentally disabled.
Defense attorneys Corky Stovall and Rick Shelton said they couldn't comment because of a gag order issued by presiding Judge Ralph Burgess. Prosecutor Tina Richardson said only that she was shocked at the outcome.
The prosecution had alleged that Mr. Johnson was brought to the party to dance and be ridiculed as "the evening's entertainment," and that he was victimized because of his race and disability when he was assaulted by Mr. Amox and left unconscious in a ditch.
Mr. Johnson, who had the mental capacity of a 7-year-old child before the assault, suffered brain injuries and permanent impairment to his speech and motor skills, according to Lue Wilson, Mr. Johnson's cousin and guardian, and requires care in a nursing home.
Witnesses said both the defendant and the victim were drunk when Mr. Amox slugged Mr. Johnson in the face at the pasture party, after an argument about music: country vs. rap.
Defense attorneys said Mr. Amox acted in self-defense and did not intentionally injure Mr. Johnson, who was in a coma for several days after the assault.
Mr. Amox, one of four men indicted in the 2003 assault, was the only defendant accused of striking Mr. Johnson, and he was the first to stand trial.
Two other defendants, John Wesley Owens, 20, and Dallas Chadwick Stone, 19, pleaded guilty earlier in the week to injury to a disabled person by omission, a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison.
No trial date has been set for Mr. Hicks.
Nancy Barr Canson is a free-lance writer based in East Texas.
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TexasStooge
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Delegates will visit sister city in Africa
By Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Bearing cowboy hats and good will, a delegation of more than 50 locals, including the mayor and four City Council members, will descend on Fort Worth's newest sister city this week.
After more than 30 hours of travel to Mbabane, Swaziland, the group will attend council meetings, bring needed supplies and hold a ceremony to formally make the two sister cities.
Mbabane officials have dubbed the visit "Cowboys in Africa."
"The visit ... will be an historic event, and not only for the city but for the whole country," Mbabane Acting City Manager Felix Matsebula said. "We hope the officials from Fort Worth will learn a lot ... [about] the issues and challenges facing us, the Swazi way of life and culture, to where we are headed as a city and the country in general.
"Certainly there will be a lot to see, which we hope they will cherish for the rest of their lives."
For locals, this trip is the culmination of a five-year search for an African sister city, giving Fort Worth its seventh sister city and Mbabane its first.
Fort Worth's other sister cities are Trier, Germany; Nagaoka, Japan; Bandung, Indonesia; Toluca, Mexico; Budapest, Hungary, and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
In the summer, Mbabane officials traveled to Fort Worth for a sister-city ceremony, signing friendship treaties and exchanging gifts.
Mayor Pro Tem Ralph McCloud said this is an important relationship for the city.
"It shrinks the world a little for us," said McCloud, who strongly advocated an African sister city. "We have relationships and can see a larger portion of the world.
"We become like one great big city -- understanding culture, value and the history of each other's communities."
The local delegation, which flies out of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport this morning, is expected to reach Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday evening.
By Wednesday, the delegates are to arrive in Mbabane, pronounced buh-BAH-nee, for a briefing at City Hall, a tour of the city and a welcome reception.
On Thursday, they'll visit the Houses of Parliament, the King and Queen's Palace and a candle factory. That night, decked out in their finest Western wear, they'll participate in the signing ceremony.
"This is a big step for Fort Worth," Councilman Donavan Wheatfall said.
During the rest of the visit, the delegation will tour the Swaziland Game Reserve, the Swazi Cultural Village and the Ngwenya glass factory.
"This is a way for us to open up the world to our citizens here so they can see a whole new rich culture they may never have been exposed to before," said Mae Ferguson, executive director of Fort Worth Sister Cities International.
In 2003, a delegation of local volunteers recommended Mbabane as a sister city over Buffalo City, Cape Town and Tshwane, all in South Africa.
Mbabane, with a population of 69,000, is the capital of Swaziland, which borders Mozambique and South Africa. Mbabane was established in 1902 and declared a city by the king in 1992, according to Sister Cities officials.
Most members of the delegation pay for their own trips. Sister Cities picks up the tab for its three official representatives, and Fort Worth is footing the bill for council members and Mayor Mike Moncrief.
Moncrief said he anticipates a memorable trip.
"I'm very proud to represent the city of Fort Worth," he said, "and I look forward to our growing relationship with our new sister city."
The local delegation won't show up empty-handed.
Already shipped to South Africa are 280 wheelchairs for disabled children and adults who otherwise couldn't afford them.
Councilwoman Becky Haskin spearheaded an effort to raise $21,000, which was matched by the Wheelchair Foundation of Danville, Calif., to send wheelchairs of various sizes to Mbabane.
"The need for this is so great in our sister city," Haskin said. "Some very generous people came forward, including the mayor and all my colleagues. This is what sister cities are all about, helping out and making international friendships."
One hundred computers have also been shipped for Mbabane schools, courtesy of downtown Rotarians.
Local officials plan to present scholarships at the signing to at least one teacher and five students to visit Fort Worth this summer for the Sister Cities' International Leadership Academy.
And the Mbabane council will receive straw cowboy hats from Luskey Ryon's Western Wear, courtesy of Councilman Jim Lane, in honor of McCloud, who is retiring.
"Ralph is a wonderful mayor pro tem, and he supported me on all efforts to preserve the city's cowboy heritage," said Lane, also retiring from the council in May.
McCloud, who prefers penny loafers to cowboy boots, nonetheless heads to Africa with a new pair of boots and a new cowboy hat, also courtesy of Lane.
"I couldn't have him going over there in penny loafers and no socks," Lane said.
IN THE KNOW
Mbabane
• Mbabane, whose name literally means "sharp and bitter," is about 200 miles east of Johannesburg, South Africa, has a population of 69,000 and covers 30 square miles. Its motto is "Faith in Future."
• The capital and administrative center of Swaziland, Mbabane is managed by 12 elected officials, and its government employs more than 200 people.
• Much of Mbabane's population is Swazi, along with Zulus, South Africans and non-Africans.
• With a population of 1.1 million, Swaziland is Africa's smallest country. One of the last sub-Saharan monarchies, it is ruled by King Mswati III, also known as Ngweyama, or "the lion." Life expectancy in Swaziland is about 39 years.
SOURCES: Fort Worth Sister Cities International, Star-Telegram research
By Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Bearing cowboy hats and good will, a delegation of more than 50 locals, including the mayor and four City Council members, will descend on Fort Worth's newest sister city this week.
After more than 30 hours of travel to Mbabane, Swaziland, the group will attend council meetings, bring needed supplies and hold a ceremony to formally make the two sister cities.
Mbabane officials have dubbed the visit "Cowboys in Africa."
"The visit ... will be an historic event, and not only for the city but for the whole country," Mbabane Acting City Manager Felix Matsebula said. "We hope the officials from Fort Worth will learn a lot ... [about] the issues and challenges facing us, the Swazi way of life and culture, to where we are headed as a city and the country in general.
"Certainly there will be a lot to see, which we hope they will cherish for the rest of their lives."
For locals, this trip is the culmination of a five-year search for an African sister city, giving Fort Worth its seventh sister city and Mbabane its first.
Fort Worth's other sister cities are Trier, Germany; Nagaoka, Japan; Bandung, Indonesia; Toluca, Mexico; Budapest, Hungary, and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
In the summer, Mbabane officials traveled to Fort Worth for a sister-city ceremony, signing friendship treaties and exchanging gifts.
Mayor Pro Tem Ralph McCloud said this is an important relationship for the city.
"It shrinks the world a little for us," said McCloud, who strongly advocated an African sister city. "We have relationships and can see a larger portion of the world.
"We become like one great big city -- understanding culture, value and the history of each other's communities."
The local delegation, which flies out of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport this morning, is expected to reach Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday evening.
By Wednesday, the delegates are to arrive in Mbabane, pronounced buh-BAH-nee, for a briefing at City Hall, a tour of the city and a welcome reception.
On Thursday, they'll visit the Houses of Parliament, the King and Queen's Palace and a candle factory. That night, decked out in their finest Western wear, they'll participate in the signing ceremony.
"This is a big step for Fort Worth," Councilman Donavan Wheatfall said.
During the rest of the visit, the delegation will tour the Swaziland Game Reserve, the Swazi Cultural Village and the Ngwenya glass factory.
"This is a way for us to open up the world to our citizens here so they can see a whole new rich culture they may never have been exposed to before," said Mae Ferguson, executive director of Fort Worth Sister Cities International.
In 2003, a delegation of local volunteers recommended Mbabane as a sister city over Buffalo City, Cape Town and Tshwane, all in South Africa.
Mbabane, with a population of 69,000, is the capital of Swaziland, which borders Mozambique and South Africa. Mbabane was established in 1902 and declared a city by the king in 1992, according to Sister Cities officials.
Most members of the delegation pay for their own trips. Sister Cities picks up the tab for its three official representatives, and Fort Worth is footing the bill for council members and Mayor Mike Moncrief.
Moncrief said he anticipates a memorable trip.
"I'm very proud to represent the city of Fort Worth," he said, "and I look forward to our growing relationship with our new sister city."
The local delegation won't show up empty-handed.
Already shipped to South Africa are 280 wheelchairs for disabled children and adults who otherwise couldn't afford them.
Councilwoman Becky Haskin spearheaded an effort to raise $21,000, which was matched by the Wheelchair Foundation of Danville, Calif., to send wheelchairs of various sizes to Mbabane.
"The need for this is so great in our sister city," Haskin said. "Some very generous people came forward, including the mayor and all my colleagues. This is what sister cities are all about, helping out and making international friendships."
One hundred computers have also been shipped for Mbabane schools, courtesy of downtown Rotarians.
Local officials plan to present scholarships at the signing to at least one teacher and five students to visit Fort Worth this summer for the Sister Cities' International Leadership Academy.
And the Mbabane council will receive straw cowboy hats from Luskey Ryon's Western Wear, courtesy of Councilman Jim Lane, in honor of McCloud, who is retiring.
"Ralph is a wonderful mayor pro tem, and he supported me on all efforts to preserve the city's cowboy heritage," said Lane, also retiring from the council in May.
McCloud, who prefers penny loafers to cowboy boots, nonetheless heads to Africa with a new pair of boots and a new cowboy hat, also courtesy of Lane.
"I couldn't have him going over there in penny loafers and no socks," Lane said.
IN THE KNOW
Mbabane
• Mbabane, whose name literally means "sharp and bitter," is about 200 miles east of Johannesburg, South Africa, has a population of 69,000 and covers 30 square miles. Its motto is "Faith in Future."
• The capital and administrative center of Swaziland, Mbabane is managed by 12 elected officials, and its government employs more than 200 people.
• Much of Mbabane's population is Swazi, along with Zulus, South Africans and non-Africans.
• With a population of 1.1 million, Swaziland is Africa's smallest country. One of the last sub-Saharan monarchies, it is ruled by King Mswati III, also known as Ngweyama, or "the lion." Life expectancy in Swaziland is about 39 years.
SOURCES: Fort Worth Sister Cities International, Star-Telegram research
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TexasStooge
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Drop in enrollment prompts budget cut
By Matt Frazier, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Texas Wesleyan University is cutting $300,000 to $400,000 from this year's budget after spring enrollment numbers showed fewer students taking fewer credit hours than expected.
The number of undergraduate students dropped to 1,280 this spring, from 1,376 in the fall, and the students are taking about 500 fewer credits than expected.
In turn, tuition revenue will fall about 1 percent short of projections in the $33 million annual budget, administrators said.
To balance the budget, some routine maintenance will be put off, and some nonfaculty positions will remain unfilled. Such leeway was built into the budget.
"Students shouldn't see the cuts," said Bill Bleibdrey, senior vice president of finance and administration. "They are our customers, and we have to keep them happy."
Administrators said that Texas Wesleyan lost fewer students over the winter break this year than it did the year before.
Not counting students who graduated this fall or entered the university during the middle of the year, the school retained 87 percent of its undergraduate students, compared with 76.7 percent a year ago.
Wesleyan has made a concentrated effort to keep more students, particularly freshmen, from the fall to the spring.
Last year, administrators had an enrollment marketing firm, Noel-Levitz, study the problem. After hearing the company's suggestions, the university has begun a new reading program to help retain academically challenged students.
It is also considering a new honors program for gifted students.
Texas Wesleyan President Harold Jeffcoat said the university is working harder to give each student attention, placing students in appropriate courses and building up the academic resource center.
Retaining students is important to Texas Wesleyan, but so is balancing the budget.
The Southern Association of Colleges put the university on a one-year probation in December 2000, citing Texas Wesleyan for drawing on its reserve fund to balance its operating budget.
Trustees that year had to approve difficult cuts, including layoffs, and reallocations of about $4 million.
Since then, the university has worked to better handle its money, Jeffcoat said.
By Matt Frazier, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Texas Wesleyan University is cutting $300,000 to $400,000 from this year's budget after spring enrollment numbers showed fewer students taking fewer credit hours than expected.
The number of undergraduate students dropped to 1,280 this spring, from 1,376 in the fall, and the students are taking about 500 fewer credits than expected.
In turn, tuition revenue will fall about 1 percent short of projections in the $33 million annual budget, administrators said.
To balance the budget, some routine maintenance will be put off, and some nonfaculty positions will remain unfilled. Such leeway was built into the budget.
"Students shouldn't see the cuts," said Bill Bleibdrey, senior vice president of finance and administration. "They are our customers, and we have to keep them happy."
Administrators said that Texas Wesleyan lost fewer students over the winter break this year than it did the year before.
Not counting students who graduated this fall or entered the university during the middle of the year, the school retained 87 percent of its undergraduate students, compared with 76.7 percent a year ago.
Wesleyan has made a concentrated effort to keep more students, particularly freshmen, from the fall to the spring.
Last year, administrators had an enrollment marketing firm, Noel-Levitz, study the problem. After hearing the company's suggestions, the university has begun a new reading program to help retain academically challenged students.
It is also considering a new honors program for gifted students.
Texas Wesleyan President Harold Jeffcoat said the university is working harder to give each student attention, placing students in appropriate courses and building up the academic resource center.
Retaining students is important to Texas Wesleyan, but so is balancing the budget.
The Southern Association of Colleges put the university on a one-year probation in December 2000, citing Texas Wesleyan for drawing on its reserve fund to balance its operating budget.
Trustees that year had to approve difficult cuts, including layoffs, and reallocations of about $4 million.
Since then, the university has worked to better handle its money, Jeffcoat said.
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TexasStooge
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Land agreement clears path for new BMX track
By Bill Teeter, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Rock music jangled from speakers mounted on telephone poles above the quarter-mile of serpentine dirt track as four helmeted youths in snappy racing outfits took up positions in the starting gate at the Cowtown BMX track.
The gate dropped open, and the riders raced off under the track lights, taking flight along the way as they crested mounds of earth.
It's a scene repeated day after day at the Cowtown BMX track, a bicycle motocross track on Haltom Road.
BMX enthusiasts could soon have new, expanded surroundings. Fort Worth has agreed to allow an unused part of Pecan Valley Park near Lake Benbrook to be converted into a BMX track.
The site -- once a soap box derby track -- would be built by the Bear Creek BMX Association to replace the Haltom Road track.
"I think it's pretty cool," said Shealen Reno, 8, of Fort Worth, a recent visitor to the Haltom Road track who has won two national BMX championships.
She said she's looking forward to the new track -- and to leaving the rocks in the old one behind.
"It's going to be better," she said. "I can get faster on that track."
A growing sport
Participation has been growing in recent years in BMX, which first appeared in the late 1960s in California.
The first documented BMX race -- an offshoot of cross-country motorcycle races -- took place in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1969, said Shannon Gillette, sponsorship director of the American Bicycle Association, a national BMX organization.
Membership was flat recently because of the economy but began growing sharply in 2004, he said.
The bicycle association has about 60,000 members and 283 tracks in the United States and Canada, and BMX racing is slated to be included in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he said.
The sport is good for young people because they can have fun and get fit, said Gary Elmore, president of the Parents of the Bear Creek BMX Association, which operates the Cowtown track.
Having the better track should help local riders get more competitive, Elmore said.
Moreover, the existing track on Haltom Road is difficult to find and in an area that makes some parents uncomfortable after dark, he said.
Rebuilding the park
The new track would be built on a 15-acre parcel near Winscott and Memorial Oak roads along the northeastern edge of the 625-acre Pecan Valley Park.
A BMX downhill course is planned for the hill that once was used for the free-rolling soap box cars, and a level BMX course would also be built with its own set of small hills and jumps for riders.
Under an agreement approved by the Fort Worth City Council, the Bear Creek association will pay the city $1 annually to lease the site for five years. The association will pay the estimated $100,000 in construction costs and will be responsible for maintaining the track.
The arrangement can be renewed at the end of the five years if the city and the association agree.
City officials say the proposal could put vacant area to good use.
"What we are trying to do is put more in there to allow people to use it," said George Kruzick, a district superintendent in the city parks department.
The Greater Fort Worth Soap Box Derby Association used the track until the last competition there in October 2002, Kruzick said.
Rolan Duffield, regional director for the All-American Soap Box Derby, a national group that sanctions competitions, said it was unclear why the Fort Worth association stopped racing.
BMX participants say they will be happy to use the new facility.
"I think it would really help out, because at our regular location, people don't want to go there," said Chris Spoon, 17, of Lake Worth, who rides BMX with his brother, Michael, 16.
"Moving it to a new location would really bring a lot of new people," he said.
By Bill Teeter, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Rock music jangled from speakers mounted on telephone poles above the quarter-mile of serpentine dirt track as four helmeted youths in snappy racing outfits took up positions in the starting gate at the Cowtown BMX track.
The gate dropped open, and the riders raced off under the track lights, taking flight along the way as they crested mounds of earth.
It's a scene repeated day after day at the Cowtown BMX track, a bicycle motocross track on Haltom Road.
BMX enthusiasts could soon have new, expanded surroundings. Fort Worth has agreed to allow an unused part of Pecan Valley Park near Lake Benbrook to be converted into a BMX track.
The site -- once a soap box derby track -- would be built by the Bear Creek BMX Association to replace the Haltom Road track.
"I think it's pretty cool," said Shealen Reno, 8, of Fort Worth, a recent visitor to the Haltom Road track who has won two national BMX championships.
She said she's looking forward to the new track -- and to leaving the rocks in the old one behind.
"It's going to be better," she said. "I can get faster on that track."
A growing sport
Participation has been growing in recent years in BMX, which first appeared in the late 1960s in California.
The first documented BMX race -- an offshoot of cross-country motorcycle races -- took place in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1969, said Shannon Gillette, sponsorship director of the American Bicycle Association, a national BMX organization.
Membership was flat recently because of the economy but began growing sharply in 2004, he said.
The bicycle association has about 60,000 members and 283 tracks in the United States and Canada, and BMX racing is slated to be included in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he said.
The sport is good for young people because they can have fun and get fit, said Gary Elmore, president of the Parents of the Bear Creek BMX Association, which operates the Cowtown track.
Having the better track should help local riders get more competitive, Elmore said.
Moreover, the existing track on Haltom Road is difficult to find and in an area that makes some parents uncomfortable after dark, he said.
Rebuilding the park
The new track would be built on a 15-acre parcel near Winscott and Memorial Oak roads along the northeastern edge of the 625-acre Pecan Valley Park.
A BMX downhill course is planned for the hill that once was used for the free-rolling soap box cars, and a level BMX course would also be built with its own set of small hills and jumps for riders.
Under an agreement approved by the Fort Worth City Council, the Bear Creek association will pay the city $1 annually to lease the site for five years. The association will pay the estimated $100,000 in construction costs and will be responsible for maintaining the track.
The arrangement can be renewed at the end of the five years if the city and the association agree.
City officials say the proposal could put vacant area to good use.
"What we are trying to do is put more in there to allow people to use it," said George Kruzick, a district superintendent in the city parks department.
The Greater Fort Worth Soap Box Derby Association used the track until the last competition there in October 2002, Kruzick said.
Rolan Duffield, regional director for the All-American Soap Box Derby, a national group that sanctions competitions, said it was unclear why the Fort Worth association stopped racing.
BMX participants say they will be happy to use the new facility.
"I think it would really help out, because at our regular location, people don't want to go there," said Chris Spoon, 17, of Lake Worth, who rides BMX with his brother, Michael, 16.
"Moving it to a new location would really bring a lot of new people," he said.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
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Shopping center damaged in 3-alarm blaze
By Bill Teeter, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Incense sparked a fire in a Woodhaven Boulevard discount store that injured a clerk and heavily damaged businesses nearby in a small shopping center, a city Fire Department spokesman said.
The incense "was apparently burning in the storeroom and in the store itself," Lt. Kent Worley said. "It got too close to a combustible and started the fire."
The injured clerk, Iqbal Samsudin, watched from across the street, his left hand covered in gauze, as firefighters worked to put out the fire that began at 1:15 p.m. in the storeroom of the 99 Cent Store at 1017 Woodhaven.
The fire, which occurred next door to a fire station, heavily damaged the store and an out-of-business convenience store next to it. A coin laundry had mostly fire damage, and a tax business and restaurant had smoke damage, Worley said.
Damage was estimated at $500,000 to building contents and $1 million to the shopping center, Worley said. The center appears to be a total loss, he said.
The proximity of the fire station presented its own set of problems, Worley said. If a station is near a fire, scene commanders have less time to set a strategy, and the first crew generally has to wait for other units before they can hook up to hydrants, he said.
About 45 firefighters battled the three-alarm fire, and 15 fire vehicles responded, Worley said. The National Weather Service reported winds gusting to nearly 30 mph in the area Sunday afternoon. Worley said the winds whipped through vents in the roof and fanned the flames in a "blowtorch effect."
Samsudin said he was the only employee at the store, which had three or four customers, when the fire started. One of the customers, Tamaia Trim, 19, said she noticed smoke and reported it to Samsudin.
"I said, 'Something is burning.' He said it was incense," she said. It quickly became obvious from a large amount of smoke collecting at the ceiling that it was not incense, she said.
The store had a fire extinguisher, but Samsudin said he didn't know how to operate it. He handed it to another customer, Lakresha Holland, 20. Holland said she pulled the pin in the handle to activate the extinguisher and squeezed it once to make sure it worked. After looking in the storeroom filled with smoke and fire, she decided it was no use.
Samsudin said he then took the extinguisher and tried to put the fire out but then gave up. He was trying to get a box of paper goods out of the storeroom when his hand was burned, Samsudin said.
Samsudin said no incense was burning in the store when the fire started.
By Bill Teeter, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Incense sparked a fire in a Woodhaven Boulevard discount store that injured a clerk and heavily damaged businesses nearby in a small shopping center, a city Fire Department spokesman said.
The incense "was apparently burning in the storeroom and in the store itself," Lt. Kent Worley said. "It got too close to a combustible and started the fire."
The injured clerk, Iqbal Samsudin, watched from across the street, his left hand covered in gauze, as firefighters worked to put out the fire that began at 1:15 p.m. in the storeroom of the 99 Cent Store at 1017 Woodhaven.
The fire, which occurred next door to a fire station, heavily damaged the store and an out-of-business convenience store next to it. A coin laundry had mostly fire damage, and a tax business and restaurant had smoke damage, Worley said.
Damage was estimated at $500,000 to building contents and $1 million to the shopping center, Worley said. The center appears to be a total loss, he said.
The proximity of the fire station presented its own set of problems, Worley said. If a station is near a fire, scene commanders have less time to set a strategy, and the first crew generally has to wait for other units before they can hook up to hydrants, he said.
About 45 firefighters battled the three-alarm fire, and 15 fire vehicles responded, Worley said. The National Weather Service reported winds gusting to nearly 30 mph in the area Sunday afternoon. Worley said the winds whipped through vents in the roof and fanned the flames in a "blowtorch effect."
Samsudin said he was the only employee at the store, which had three or four customers, when the fire started. One of the customers, Tamaia Trim, 19, said she noticed smoke and reported it to Samsudin.
"I said, 'Something is burning.' He said it was incense," she said. It quickly became obvious from a large amount of smoke collecting at the ceiling that it was not incense, she said.
The store had a fire extinguisher, but Samsudin said he didn't know how to operate it. He handed it to another customer, Lakresha Holland, 20. Holland said she pulled the pin in the handle to activate the extinguisher and squeezed it once to make sure it worked. After looking in the storeroom filled with smoke and fire, she decided it was no use.
Samsudin said he then took the extinguisher and tried to put the fire out but then gave up. He was trying to get a box of paper goods out of the storeroom when his hand was burned, Samsudin said.
Samsudin said no incense was burning in the store when the fire started.
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TexasStooge
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Strong winds fuel local blazes
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - Despite the moderate temperatures and sunny skies, heavy winds across North Texas on Sunday made a couple of structure fires more challenging for firefighters to contain.
Strong gusts fueled a two-alarm blaze that destroyed a Plano home in the 3800 block of Vicksburg, sending flames through the roof.
"The wind gusts were up to 23 to 25 miles an hour, hampering the firefighting," neighborhood resident Peggy Harrell said.
"We were driving home on way over on Coit, and we saw smoke and went looking for the house, not knowing it was right here," said neighborhood resident Sharon Luker.
Harrell said she's glad nearby homes did not have wood shingles.
"With the wood shingles, it would have jumped from home to home," she said.
The family inside the burning home escaped safely as firefighters arrived on the scene to confront the blaze and intense wind gusts.
Similar strong winds also challenged Fort Worth firefighters who battled a three-alarm fire at a strip shopping center in the 1000 block of Woodhaven Drive earlier in the day.
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - Despite the moderate temperatures and sunny skies, heavy winds across North Texas on Sunday made a couple of structure fires more challenging for firefighters to contain.
Strong gusts fueled a two-alarm blaze that destroyed a Plano home in the 3800 block of Vicksburg, sending flames through the roof.
"The wind gusts were up to 23 to 25 miles an hour, hampering the firefighting," neighborhood resident Peggy Harrell said.
"We were driving home on way over on Coit, and we saw smoke and went looking for the house, not knowing it was right here," said neighborhood resident Sharon Luker.
Harrell said she's glad nearby homes did not have wood shingles.
"With the wood shingles, it would have jumped from home to home," she said.
The family inside the burning home escaped safely as firefighters arrived on the scene to confront the blaze and intense wind gusts.
Similar strong winds also challenged Fort Worth firefighters who battled a three-alarm fire at a strip shopping center in the 1000 block of Woodhaven Drive earlier in the day.
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TexasStooge
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Apartment fire displaces 16 families
By APRIL KINSER / WFAA.com
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Sixteen families were displaced from their homes Monday after a four-alarm fire burned through nearly half of a 41-unit apartment complex near downtown Dallas.
Lt. Joel Lavender with Dallas Fire-Rescue said no one was injured, but 18 units at the Carriage Hill Villas in the 4900 block of Live Oak Street were destroyed. Firefighters banged on doors to evacuate residents.
About 80 firefighters needed a little more than an hour to extinguish the fire.
“Rescue was our No. 1 priority,” Lavender said. “When you start thinking about spring break, a lot of youngsters and children are out of school and at home.”
The blaze began about 8:15 a.m. Lavender said the cause was under investigation, but officials with the apartment management told Dallas Fire-Rescue it appears a lit cigarette ignited a mattress.
Lavender said firefighters were challenged by the awkward U-shape of the building and the difficult rear access as well as windy conditions. The wind was 8 to 10 mph Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
David Silva, 39, was coming home from work around 8:30 a.m. when he saw the smoke and flames.
“I just started banging on doors trying to get people out,” he said.
Dawn Espinoza, 33, had lived in the complex for two months after moving from Indiana. She learned about the blaze, which she said was in the unit above hers, when firefighters banged on the door.
“When I got out, the smoke was just so bad,” she said. “I don’t know where I’m going to go. My furniture, everything was there. It’s all that I had.”
Espinoza said she didn’t hear her smoke alarm, or any others, going off. Lavender said residents gave mixed reports about whether the detectors sounded, but all units had one.
Tammy Mai with the American Red Cross said volunteers were trying to provide food, shelter and clothing. She said the agency was working with the apartment management to try to move residents to other vacant units in related properties.
“Worst comes to worst, we’ll try to put them up in a hotel or we might have to open a shelter for them,” she said.
By APRIL KINSER / WFAA.com
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Sixteen families were displaced from their homes Monday after a four-alarm fire burned through nearly half of a 41-unit apartment complex near downtown Dallas.
Lt. Joel Lavender with Dallas Fire-Rescue said no one was injured, but 18 units at the Carriage Hill Villas in the 4900 block of Live Oak Street were destroyed. Firefighters banged on doors to evacuate residents.
About 80 firefighters needed a little more than an hour to extinguish the fire.
“Rescue was our No. 1 priority,” Lavender said. “When you start thinking about spring break, a lot of youngsters and children are out of school and at home.”
The blaze began about 8:15 a.m. Lavender said the cause was under investigation, but officials with the apartment management told Dallas Fire-Rescue it appears a lit cigarette ignited a mattress.
Lavender said firefighters were challenged by the awkward U-shape of the building and the difficult rear access as well as windy conditions. The wind was 8 to 10 mph Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
David Silva, 39, was coming home from work around 8:30 a.m. when he saw the smoke and flames.
“I just started banging on doors trying to get people out,” he said.
Dawn Espinoza, 33, had lived in the complex for two months after moving from Indiana. She learned about the blaze, which she said was in the unit above hers, when firefighters banged on the door.
“When I got out, the smoke was just so bad,” she said. “I don’t know where I’m going to go. My furniture, everything was there. It’s all that I had.”
Espinoza said she didn’t hear her smoke alarm, or any others, going off. Lavender said residents gave mixed reports about whether the detectors sounded, but all units had one.
Tammy Mai with the American Red Cross said volunteers were trying to provide food, shelter and clothing. She said the agency was working with the apartment management to try to move residents to other vacant units in related properties.
“Worst comes to worst, we’ll try to put them up in a hotel or we might have to open a shelter for them,” she said.
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TexasStooge
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Church meets without jailed minister
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas - Congregants of an Arlington church faced each other amid an uncomfortable situation as they gathered to worship Sunday morning without their pastor.
Agape Christian Fellowship's Bishop Terry Hornbuckle is being held in the Tarrant County jail, charged with four counts of sexual assault - allegations which he denies.
Hornbuckle allegedly used date rape drugs to overcome several women in the church beginning in July 2003.
Outside the church, more allegations were made during Sunday's services. A former church member and the mother of a teenage girl accused Hornbuckle of additional inappropriate behavior.
"It was just propositions and things like that," Mary Alpough told News 8. "It happened to my daughter ... (to) me firsthand, and with my daughter firsthand and her roommate."
Filling in for Hornbuckle, Bishop Harold Ray from West Palm Beach, Florida told the congregation to remain faithful to God and their church amid the controversy.
"We are not looking at covering something up; we have appropriate protocols," Ray said. "We respect our leaders, but this church is about God."
Hornbuckle, a charismatic minister who more than tripled the size of his church, said in a statement, "I am completely innocent of the charges I have been wrongly accused of ... this is extortion plain and simple, which I won't surrender to."
Bishop Ray says the church's leadership met Sunday and will meet again Monday to decide how to proceed. But some of those same church board members are already facing civil lawsuits over the alleged assaults.
Church officials did not allow cameras inside, but Ray reminded those in attendance that Agape Christian Fellowship faces difficult business and spiritual decisions in the days ahead.
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas - Congregants of an Arlington church faced each other amid an uncomfortable situation as they gathered to worship Sunday morning without their pastor.
Agape Christian Fellowship's Bishop Terry Hornbuckle is being held in the Tarrant County jail, charged with four counts of sexual assault - allegations which he denies.
Hornbuckle allegedly used date rape drugs to overcome several women in the church beginning in July 2003.
Outside the church, more allegations were made during Sunday's services. A former church member and the mother of a teenage girl accused Hornbuckle of additional inappropriate behavior.
"It was just propositions and things like that," Mary Alpough told News 8. "It happened to my daughter ... (to) me firsthand, and with my daughter firsthand and her roommate."
Filling in for Hornbuckle, Bishop Harold Ray from West Palm Beach, Florida told the congregation to remain faithful to God and their church amid the controversy.
"We are not looking at covering something up; we have appropriate protocols," Ray said. "We respect our leaders, but this church is about God."
Hornbuckle, a charismatic minister who more than tripled the size of his church, said in a statement, "I am completely innocent of the charges I have been wrongly accused of ... this is extortion plain and simple, which I won't surrender to."
Bishop Ray says the church's leadership met Sunday and will meet again Monday to decide how to proceed. But some of those same church board members are already facing civil lawsuits over the alleged assaults.
Church officials did not allow cameras inside, but Ray reminded those in attendance that Agape Christian Fellowship faces difficult business and spiritual decisions in the days ahead.
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TexasStooge
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Ferris plant to contest fine in explosion
$21,000 penalty is among stiffest OSHA has levied in Texas
By JIM GETZ / The Dallas Morning News
FERRIS, Texas – The federal agency that oversees worker health and safety has levied a $21,000 fine against C&G Aircraft Co., a former Ferris aircraft-parts shop where an explosion and fire killed one man and injured two others last summer.
The fine is among the top 1 percent of the largest fines that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has levied against Texas companies since the agency's inception in 1972. Dean Wingo, the Fort Worth area director for OSHA, and Joe H. Cleaver, one of the co-owners of the former company, said the fine would be contested. About two-thirds of companies fined the same amount have succeeded in having OSHA reduce penalties for various reasons.
The Aug. 26 explosion – which authorities believed occurred when an employee dropped a 50-pound bag of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in metal cleaning – has left its mark on the town of 2,200 residents.
"It's woke up a lot of people in the area," Ferris Fire Chief Eddie Duran said. "Everyone wants growth to come in, but you have to be careful what moves in next door to you."
The explosion left Tammy Powers a widow and her four children fatherless; John Powers, caught in the brunt of the explosion, died three days afterward at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
Mr. Cleaver said he and his son, Ronnie Cleaver, and C&G have not found work since. Ronnie Cleaver, once a co-owner of C&G, has had health problems since being injured in the explosion. The elder Cleaver did not want to comment, except to say, "We're out of business, just barely keeping going. Got to get into something soon."
The former C&G Aircraft building, 19,500 square feet on a half-acre near downtown Ferris, is for sale for $375,000. During 2004, the building contained hundreds of pounds of chemicals such as nitric acid and sodium cyanide, but Steve Mounce, a chemist who obtained permits for C&G to operate, said the building is empty now. An official with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality agreed.
Mayor Pro Tem Scott Born said Ferris is considering hiring a city administrator who could better oversee code enforcement and certificates of occupancy for new businesses. C&G violated city ordinances because it had a certificate of occupancy only for an office and sandblasting operation, not for a metal-cleaning operation that used hazardous chemicals.
"I think there has been some code enforcement things we have done, and that has met some resistance," City Attorney Robert Hager said. "It's not unusual that the city, after having an incident like the one they had down there, would step up enforcement. The problem is, they just don't have the bodies [to do it]. Everybody multitasks down there."
Chief Duran, who was among the first to respond to the explosion, said he now requires new businesses to provide a list of chemicals on site. He said he would do his best to catch chemicals at existing businesses when he does annual fire inspections.
"I don't care if it's a hardware store with only a few cans of cleaner or disinfectant," he said. "I won't sign a [certificate of occupancy] unless they give me a list up front."
Under federal law, businesses possessing chemicals above various thresholds must provide material safety data sheets to the fire chief and Ellis County's local emergency planning committee. C&G needed to report only the nitric acid and sodium cyanide; Chief Duran received the 2004 sheets for C&G this month.
But it didn't have to report the ammonium nitrate – the same material used in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 – or anything else. When the explosion occurred, it took C&G about 90 minutes to provide Chief Duran with a list of possible chemicals inside.
An emergency response review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently concluded that the mix-ups led to Mr. Powers being transported to Parkland without being decontaminated first, firefighters rushing into the building without following a protocol in a hazardous materials situation and other errors. Chief Duran said he and his firefighters – all of them now trained in hazardous materials awareness – have learned and are better prepared.
"If we had known what was in there, we wouldn't have gone in," Chief Duran said. "But we're firemen, and we saw a fire."
EPA official Steve Mason said the emergency response review is designed more to improve departments, not criticize them; he met with the department before the report was issued in January for that reason.
"Overall, the response went very well," he said. "They did the best that they could to protect the community, and that's the No. 1 thing we want people to know. Chief Duran ... established a command structure fairly quickly, recognized what the priorities were up front, was quickly able to determine what resources they needed and get them to the scene."
Chief Duran said the incident has been an education for all.
"We learned we could count on the schools for help [in evacuating students]. We learned the citizens would help – would be there if we needed them."
$21,000 penalty is among stiffest OSHA has levied in Texas
By JIM GETZ / The Dallas Morning News
FERRIS, Texas – The federal agency that oversees worker health and safety has levied a $21,000 fine against C&G Aircraft Co., a former Ferris aircraft-parts shop where an explosion and fire killed one man and injured two others last summer.
The fine is among the top 1 percent of the largest fines that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has levied against Texas companies since the agency's inception in 1972. Dean Wingo, the Fort Worth area director for OSHA, and Joe H. Cleaver, one of the co-owners of the former company, said the fine would be contested. About two-thirds of companies fined the same amount have succeeded in having OSHA reduce penalties for various reasons.
The Aug. 26 explosion – which authorities believed occurred when an employee dropped a 50-pound bag of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in metal cleaning – has left its mark on the town of 2,200 residents.
"It's woke up a lot of people in the area," Ferris Fire Chief Eddie Duran said. "Everyone wants growth to come in, but you have to be careful what moves in next door to you."
The explosion left Tammy Powers a widow and her four children fatherless; John Powers, caught in the brunt of the explosion, died three days afterward at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
Mr. Cleaver said he and his son, Ronnie Cleaver, and C&G have not found work since. Ronnie Cleaver, once a co-owner of C&G, has had health problems since being injured in the explosion. The elder Cleaver did not want to comment, except to say, "We're out of business, just barely keeping going. Got to get into something soon."
The former C&G Aircraft building, 19,500 square feet on a half-acre near downtown Ferris, is for sale for $375,000. During 2004, the building contained hundreds of pounds of chemicals such as nitric acid and sodium cyanide, but Steve Mounce, a chemist who obtained permits for C&G to operate, said the building is empty now. An official with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality agreed.
Mayor Pro Tem Scott Born said Ferris is considering hiring a city administrator who could better oversee code enforcement and certificates of occupancy for new businesses. C&G violated city ordinances because it had a certificate of occupancy only for an office and sandblasting operation, not for a metal-cleaning operation that used hazardous chemicals.
"I think there has been some code enforcement things we have done, and that has met some resistance," City Attorney Robert Hager said. "It's not unusual that the city, after having an incident like the one they had down there, would step up enforcement. The problem is, they just don't have the bodies [to do it]. Everybody multitasks down there."
Chief Duran, who was among the first to respond to the explosion, said he now requires new businesses to provide a list of chemicals on site. He said he would do his best to catch chemicals at existing businesses when he does annual fire inspections.
"I don't care if it's a hardware store with only a few cans of cleaner or disinfectant," he said. "I won't sign a [certificate of occupancy] unless they give me a list up front."
Under federal law, businesses possessing chemicals above various thresholds must provide material safety data sheets to the fire chief and Ellis County's local emergency planning committee. C&G needed to report only the nitric acid and sodium cyanide; Chief Duran received the 2004 sheets for C&G this month.
But it didn't have to report the ammonium nitrate – the same material used in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 – or anything else. When the explosion occurred, it took C&G about 90 minutes to provide Chief Duran with a list of possible chemicals inside.
An emergency response review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently concluded that the mix-ups led to Mr. Powers being transported to Parkland without being decontaminated first, firefighters rushing into the building without following a protocol in a hazardous materials situation and other errors. Chief Duran said he and his firefighters – all of them now trained in hazardous materials awareness – have learned and are better prepared.
"If we had known what was in there, we wouldn't have gone in," Chief Duran said. "But we're firemen, and we saw a fire."
EPA official Steve Mason said the emergency response review is designed more to improve departments, not criticize them; he met with the department before the report was issued in January for that reason.
"Overall, the response went very well," he said. "They did the best that they could to protect the community, and that's the No. 1 thing we want people to know. Chief Duran ... established a command structure fairly quickly, recognized what the priorities were up front, was quickly able to determine what resources they needed and get them to the scene."
Chief Duran said the incident has been an education for all.
"We learned we could count on the schools for help [in evacuating students]. We learned the citizens would help – would be there if we needed them."
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TexasStooge
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Child missing after group ends up in gulf
PORT O'CONNOR, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – U.S. Coast Guard officials on Sunday searched for a 9-year-old who ended up in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday along with 11 others.
The Coast Guard rescued 11 of the people, but a 5-year-old boy from Bastrop who was pulled from the gulf later died. The 9-year-old, believed to be from San Antonio, remained missing Sunday evening.
The group's boat "was taking on water ... it pretty much sunk," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Andy Kendrick, adding that 12 passengers probably were too many for the small recreational craft.
Those aboard were all from Texas, but Coast Guard officials were not releasing their identities Sunday evening. Petty Officer Kendrick said the survivors are from Mesquite, San Antonio and Austin.
Another boat notified the Coast Guard around 3:45 p.m. Saturday that the group's craft had capsized about 1.5 miles offshore.
Their relationship to one another was unknown, as was what exactly the group was doing Saturday afternoon when the 12 ended up in the water, he said.
"They are pretty torn up," Petty Officer Kendrick said of the adults who were aboard the boat. They were taken to land, where he said some got a hotel room and others returned home.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard crews were also searching for a man reported missing Saturday near Freeport after three boaters' craft took on water at the east end of East Matagorda Bay.
Dallas Morning News staff writer Christy Robinson contributed to this report.
PORT O'CONNOR, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – U.S. Coast Guard officials on Sunday searched for a 9-year-old who ended up in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday along with 11 others.
The Coast Guard rescued 11 of the people, but a 5-year-old boy from Bastrop who was pulled from the gulf later died. The 9-year-old, believed to be from San Antonio, remained missing Sunday evening.
The group's boat "was taking on water ... it pretty much sunk," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Andy Kendrick, adding that 12 passengers probably were too many for the small recreational craft.
Those aboard were all from Texas, but Coast Guard officials were not releasing their identities Sunday evening. Petty Officer Kendrick said the survivors are from Mesquite, San Antonio and Austin.
Another boat notified the Coast Guard around 3:45 p.m. Saturday that the group's craft had capsized about 1.5 miles offshore.
Their relationship to one another was unknown, as was what exactly the group was doing Saturday afternoon when the 12 ended up in the water, he said.
"They are pretty torn up," Petty Officer Kendrick said of the adults who were aboard the boat. They were taken to land, where he said some got a hotel room and others returned home.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard crews were also searching for a man reported missing Saturday near Freeport after three boaters' craft took on water at the east end of East Matagorda Bay.
Dallas Morning News staff writer Christy Robinson contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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State steps in to prevent rail gridlock
Leaders consider partnerships with railroads, moving freight out of cities
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - By the start of the next decade, some of North Texas' worst traffic jams won't just clog the interstates.
And they could cost motorists and businesses even more time and money than they do today.
Growing congestion on freight rail lines statewide threatens the economic vitality of Texas and its big cities, state leaders say. The clogged rails are pushing more shippers off the nation's original highways of steel rail and onto the crowded interstates.
As problems mount, Texas leaders are considering devoting billions of dollars to moving the privately owned, congested rail lines away from urban areas and giving them more room to grow.
The Texas Department of Transportation wants to dedicate $100 million a year from yet-to-be-identified sources, giving it the ability to issue $1 billion in rail project bonds. Another possible solution could come with Texas' push toward public-private partnerships, setting up relationships with the railroad companies.
Spending money to fix railroads is a marked departure from the state's previous priorities, but state and local leaders are eyeing potential traffic benefits, particularly for urban areas.
State leaders have a ready answer for those wondering why Texas might spend money to help private railroad companies.
"We are focused on transportation," said Texas Transportation Commission member Robert Nichols of Jacksonville. "Moving people and goods efficiently and effectively is our goal. It doesn't say we have to do so by road."
Public safety and public transit stand to benefit from the proposal. Removing freight trains from populated areas reduces the chance of toxic spills like the one that killed three people in San Antonio last year. And commuter trains would have room to run on congested main routes through downtown Dallas, the mid-cities and downtown Fort Worth.
"There is almost zero risk in this," said Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson. "If we continue to do nothing, we're going to be sucked into the commode of gridlock. We're focused on what it's going to be like in 10 years."
Demographers predict that Texas' population of 23 million people will increase by 5 million in the next decade and will double in 30 years, projections that have state leaders looking for ways to handle increased freight traffic.
Limiting shipments
In some cases, railroad gridlock already has arrived. Last summer, Union Pacific Railroad notified many of the rock quarries statewide that it would cut by 30 percent the amount of mined material it shipped.
"Right off the bat, we started to see where there was a severe shortage of material, particularly in Houston and South Texas," said Michael Stewart, president of the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association, which represents quarries and other businesses involved in supplying materials used to make concrete.
One Houston businessman quickly had to find trucking companies to deliver the equivalent of 20 rail cars of mined material every two weeks, Mr. Stewart said. Using state officials' estimates, that equates to 60 to 80 tractor-trailer loads.
"These are the kind of desperate measures that those kinds of facilities have had to go to in order to meet their demand," he said.
Making partnerships
The rail line initiative is one of the major platforms of the state and the Transportation Department's legislative agenda this year. The state agency wants the Legislature to remove an annual $25 million spending cap on rail projects. The department also wants the ability to enter into public-private partnerships for complex rail projects, as it has done with the Trans-Texas Corridor.
The focus on railroad investment comes as the state enters a multibillion-dollar partnership with Spanish construction firm Cintra to build toll roads and rail lines from the Red River to the Rio Grande.
Major rail line construction probably would not occur until 2025 or later, leading the state to hold its own discussions for rail line improvements with Texas' two major railroads, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The state expects to use the same model as the Trans-Texas Corridor concept.
"It's probably going to take a public-private partnership," said state Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock, chairman of the House Transportation Committee. "The solutions are going to cost billions, if not tens of billions, of dollars."
With no deals in the works, the state does not have a firm idea of how much it might cost taxpayers. The goal of the 2005 legislative session will be to create a legal framework for rail line partnerships and probably find revenue sources in the next few years, Mr. Krusee said.
The rail relocation proposal has gotten the blessings of state leaders such as Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick.
"Talks have been going on, but there is nothing conclusive at this point," said Mr. Perry's press secretary, Kathy Walt. "The governor was the first to raise the issue of urban freight rail and moving them outside of the urban centers."
An agreement with the railroads would be without precedent, said Mr. Williamson, the Transportation Commission chairman.
"No state has ever been able to get the two largest railroads to work together to agree on a common goal of building new lines and relocating existing rail lines," he said.
Union Pacific and Burlington Northern are working with the state Transportation Department, spokesmen for both railroads say. The state and Union Pacific have traded preliminary proposals, but they require more work, spokesman Mark Davis said.
If the state relocates a rail line, Union Pacific would look to keep its trains on the same schedule. In North Texas, that would mean that a new, longer rail line must allow trains to travel at faster speeds than allowed in urban areas.
"Relocations tend to benefit the public vs. the railroad. Our requirement is that anyplace we move has to be at least as good as the current situation," Mr. Davis said.
Oklahoma has been buying old rail lines and expanding the state-owned rail network for more than a decade. And other regions of the country have undertaken or are considering massive rail relocation projects. In Los Angeles, for example, a joint authority built the $2.4 billion, 20-mile Alameda Corridor project. It features a new trench that consolidated rail lines onto a single, high-speed line and eliminated an estimated 200 railroad crossings, which slowed both train and vehicle traffic.
Transportation officials in states such as Texas view the push toward rail lines as a way to ease the wear and tear on roads. A single 110-car freight train can take enough tractor-trailers off the road to prevent the damage done by 3 million to 4 million passenger vehicles, Mr. Nichols said.
"We are spending hundreds of millions to relieve congestion anyway in downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth," Mr. Williamson said. "What if we can relieve congestion by spending hundreds of millions to build different kinds of roads?"
'Seaport on land'
Every month, the need for rail capacity grows in North Texas.
On the southern edge of downtown Fort Worth, the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern rail lines meet. In a few years, the rail bottleneck area will not have enough room to handle the expected traffic.
"In seven years, they will be stacking trains here like they're stacking ships off the port of Long Beach, [Calif.]," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Relocating the rail lines at what is believed to be the biggest freight bottleneck west of the Mississippi River could cost $2 billion in North Texas alone. And while all major metropolitan areas larger than North Texas have the ability to expand shipping docks along the East and West coasts or one of the Great Lakes, leaders here must focus on improving the rail network to keep up with business demands, Mr. Morris said.
"We want to create the equivalent of a seaport on land," he said. "Look at what D/FW Airport did for this area in the last century."
Leaders consider partnerships with railroads, moving freight out of cities
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - By the start of the next decade, some of North Texas' worst traffic jams won't just clog the interstates.
And they could cost motorists and businesses even more time and money than they do today.
Growing congestion on freight rail lines statewide threatens the economic vitality of Texas and its big cities, state leaders say. The clogged rails are pushing more shippers off the nation's original highways of steel rail and onto the crowded interstates.
As problems mount, Texas leaders are considering devoting billions of dollars to moving the privately owned, congested rail lines away from urban areas and giving them more room to grow.
The Texas Department of Transportation wants to dedicate $100 million a year from yet-to-be-identified sources, giving it the ability to issue $1 billion in rail project bonds. Another possible solution could come with Texas' push toward public-private partnerships, setting up relationships with the railroad companies.
Spending money to fix railroads is a marked departure from the state's previous priorities, but state and local leaders are eyeing potential traffic benefits, particularly for urban areas.
State leaders have a ready answer for those wondering why Texas might spend money to help private railroad companies.
"We are focused on transportation," said Texas Transportation Commission member Robert Nichols of Jacksonville. "Moving people and goods efficiently and effectively is our goal. It doesn't say we have to do so by road."
Public safety and public transit stand to benefit from the proposal. Removing freight trains from populated areas reduces the chance of toxic spills like the one that killed three people in San Antonio last year. And commuter trains would have room to run on congested main routes through downtown Dallas, the mid-cities and downtown Fort Worth.
"There is almost zero risk in this," said Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson. "If we continue to do nothing, we're going to be sucked into the commode of gridlock. We're focused on what it's going to be like in 10 years."
Demographers predict that Texas' population of 23 million people will increase by 5 million in the next decade and will double in 30 years, projections that have state leaders looking for ways to handle increased freight traffic.
Limiting shipments
In some cases, railroad gridlock already has arrived. Last summer, Union Pacific Railroad notified many of the rock quarries statewide that it would cut by 30 percent the amount of mined material it shipped.
"Right off the bat, we started to see where there was a severe shortage of material, particularly in Houston and South Texas," said Michael Stewart, president of the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association, which represents quarries and other businesses involved in supplying materials used to make concrete.
One Houston businessman quickly had to find trucking companies to deliver the equivalent of 20 rail cars of mined material every two weeks, Mr. Stewart said. Using state officials' estimates, that equates to 60 to 80 tractor-trailer loads.
"These are the kind of desperate measures that those kinds of facilities have had to go to in order to meet their demand," he said.
Making partnerships
The rail line initiative is one of the major platforms of the state and the Transportation Department's legislative agenda this year. The state agency wants the Legislature to remove an annual $25 million spending cap on rail projects. The department also wants the ability to enter into public-private partnerships for complex rail projects, as it has done with the Trans-Texas Corridor.
The focus on railroad investment comes as the state enters a multibillion-dollar partnership with Spanish construction firm Cintra to build toll roads and rail lines from the Red River to the Rio Grande.
Major rail line construction probably would not occur until 2025 or later, leading the state to hold its own discussions for rail line improvements with Texas' two major railroads, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The state expects to use the same model as the Trans-Texas Corridor concept.
"It's probably going to take a public-private partnership," said state Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock, chairman of the House Transportation Committee. "The solutions are going to cost billions, if not tens of billions, of dollars."
With no deals in the works, the state does not have a firm idea of how much it might cost taxpayers. The goal of the 2005 legislative session will be to create a legal framework for rail line partnerships and probably find revenue sources in the next few years, Mr. Krusee said.
The rail relocation proposal has gotten the blessings of state leaders such as Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick.
"Talks have been going on, but there is nothing conclusive at this point," said Mr. Perry's press secretary, Kathy Walt. "The governor was the first to raise the issue of urban freight rail and moving them outside of the urban centers."
An agreement with the railroads would be without precedent, said Mr. Williamson, the Transportation Commission chairman.
"No state has ever been able to get the two largest railroads to work together to agree on a common goal of building new lines and relocating existing rail lines," he said.
Union Pacific and Burlington Northern are working with the state Transportation Department, spokesmen for both railroads say. The state and Union Pacific have traded preliminary proposals, but they require more work, spokesman Mark Davis said.
If the state relocates a rail line, Union Pacific would look to keep its trains on the same schedule. In North Texas, that would mean that a new, longer rail line must allow trains to travel at faster speeds than allowed in urban areas.
"Relocations tend to benefit the public vs. the railroad. Our requirement is that anyplace we move has to be at least as good as the current situation," Mr. Davis said.
Oklahoma has been buying old rail lines and expanding the state-owned rail network for more than a decade. And other regions of the country have undertaken or are considering massive rail relocation projects. In Los Angeles, for example, a joint authority built the $2.4 billion, 20-mile Alameda Corridor project. It features a new trench that consolidated rail lines onto a single, high-speed line and eliminated an estimated 200 railroad crossings, which slowed both train and vehicle traffic.
Transportation officials in states such as Texas view the push toward rail lines as a way to ease the wear and tear on roads. A single 110-car freight train can take enough tractor-trailers off the road to prevent the damage done by 3 million to 4 million passenger vehicles, Mr. Nichols said.
"We are spending hundreds of millions to relieve congestion anyway in downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth," Mr. Williamson said. "What if we can relieve congestion by spending hundreds of millions to build different kinds of roads?"
'Seaport on land'
Every month, the need for rail capacity grows in North Texas.
On the southern edge of downtown Fort Worth, the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern rail lines meet. In a few years, the rail bottleneck area will not have enough room to handle the expected traffic.
"In seven years, they will be stacking trains here like they're stacking ships off the port of Long Beach, [Calif.]," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Relocating the rail lines at what is believed to be the biggest freight bottleneck west of the Mississippi River could cost $2 billion in North Texas alone. And while all major metropolitan areas larger than North Texas have the ability to expand shipping docks along the East and West coasts or one of the Great Lakes, leaders here must focus on improving the rail network to keep up with business demands, Mr. Morris said.
"We want to create the equivalent of a seaport on land," he said. "Look at what D/FW Airport did for this area in the last century."
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TexasStooge
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Slaughterhouse divides neighbors in Kaufman
Mayor among foes of Dallas Crown plant, which faces 2 lawsuits
By CHUCK CARLTON / The Dallas Morning News
KAUFMAN, Texas – Much of this rural community's civic identity comes from the squat, white building on a hill overlooking Route 175 west of town.
Inside the Dallas Crown plant, horseflesh is turned into horsemeat, sold for human consumption in Europe and Asia. About 17,000 horses were slaughtered here in 2004.
The stable-to-table transaction leaves little room for middle ground in the town of 6,600 southeast of Dallas, where the plant has generated controversy since it began processing horses in the 1980s. Many residents accept the plant, which began as a cattle slaughter operation in the 1950s and employs about 50 people, a significant number in such a small town. Others want it closed.
Kaufman Mayor Paula Bacon falls into the second category, calling Dallas Crown "a stigma in our little town."
Responds Kaufman attorney Mark Calabria, who represents the plant: "Dallas Crown has been in business here for a long time. It's a good corporate citizen. We feel the mayor has unfairly singled us out."
For once, Kaufman and Dallas Crown are bystanders in the current debate over a new federal law that would allow wild horses to be sold for slaughter. While Dallas Crown has occasionally accepted individual wild horses, it doesn't expect a notable increase in business.
But that hasn't quieted the public debate in Kaufman about the plant's existence.
Livestock or pets?
Dallas Crown is involved in two pending lawsuits, one challenging a state law and another with the city over sewer usage. The debate over the state law is the more significant legal challenge, which has birthed dueling Web sites.
The root of the matter, both sides agree, is a simple question: Are horses considered livestock or pets?
"Horses are working animals and companion animals," Ms. Bacon said. "They are not a food crop in the United States. It's a huge cultural difference. It's like if you have to be a real grown-up, you have to go out and shoot the yearling."
Fort Worth attorney John Linebarger, who represents Dallas Crown and the Beltex slaughterhouse in Fort Worth, noted that several veterinary organizations support the plants as a humane way of culling the horse population. What happens to horses during the process isn't much different for the cows, pigs and chickens that find their way to supermarket meat counters.
Many Americans simply don't like the thought of Flicka or Trigger on a plate in Paris. And Dallas Crown's Belgian and Danish ownership doesn't elicit much sympathy in Texas.
"There's a cultural difference between us and the Europeans and the Asians," Mr. Linebarger said. "They don't have the same feelings about horsemeat that we do. It's an emotional issue for some groups.
"It would be nice if we could have a retirement home for every horse, dog and cat and none of them would ever have to be put to sleep. But it's just impossible."
The lawsuits
A little-known Texas statute dating to 1949 prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The law gained new prominence in August 2002 when its legality was affirmed by John Cornyn, the attorney general at the time. Opponents of the slaughterhouses hoped to use the law to shut down the two plants.
Soon after, Dallas Crown and Beltex received a temporary injunction in U.S. District Court to stay in business.
Mr. Linebarger argues that Texas doesn't have jurisdiction over interstate and international commerce, which are federal issues. Besides, he says, the state taxes and regulates the horse slaughter industry.
Federal Judge Terry Means has not issued a final ruling in the suit.
Separately, the city of Kaufman has accused Dallas Crown of violating a permit that allows it to discharge extra contaminants into the city's sewer system.
Last year, the city briefly shut off sewer service to the plant, only to have the plant obtain another temporary injunction, this one in state court. While the legal dispute drags on, Dallas Crown continues to operate. The plant says it is in compliance with the permit.
Ms. Bacon said it could cost the city $6 million if it is forced to upgrade the sewer facilities.
"Who in the hell thought it was a good idea to hang an animal slaughter plant on a sewer system designed to accommodate 6,000 people? It's ridiculous," said Mary Nash, whose family has owned land adjacent to Dallas Crown for 150 years.
Public opinion
Kaufman's town square recently featured as many trucks as passenger cars parked around the county courthouse. The Feed Store restaurant, which features pictures of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti Western days, drew a brisk lunch crowd.
A waitress said the plant's business and accompanying odor are regular topics. Other patrons said that getting a Wal-Mart and a McDonald's are bigger priorities.
Outside the restaurant, two local farmers illustrated opposing views of the slaughterhouse.
"This is a farming community," said Don Burt, who owns a spread outside Kaufman. "People understand how nature works. All animals die. Everything eventually dies.
"It's a humane way to deal with unwanted animals."
Forney-area farmer Jack Phillips said he wouldn't take any of his horses or mules to the plant. He would rather pay to have the animals put down.
"I'm not a big slaughter fan," he said.
The mayor, whose family has operated a local lumberyard since 1896, faces a May re-election challenge. She was once censured by the City Council for her activism. A high school teacher with a master's degree from Harvard and a well-used pickup, Ms. Bacon said most people support her position.
"It's a sad thing for a horse to end up in Kaufman," she said.
Mayor among foes of Dallas Crown plant, which faces 2 lawsuits
By CHUCK CARLTON / The Dallas Morning News
KAUFMAN, Texas – Much of this rural community's civic identity comes from the squat, white building on a hill overlooking Route 175 west of town.
Inside the Dallas Crown plant, horseflesh is turned into horsemeat, sold for human consumption in Europe and Asia. About 17,000 horses were slaughtered here in 2004.
The stable-to-table transaction leaves little room for middle ground in the town of 6,600 southeast of Dallas, where the plant has generated controversy since it began processing horses in the 1980s. Many residents accept the plant, which began as a cattle slaughter operation in the 1950s and employs about 50 people, a significant number in such a small town. Others want it closed.
Kaufman Mayor Paula Bacon falls into the second category, calling Dallas Crown "a stigma in our little town."
Responds Kaufman attorney Mark Calabria, who represents the plant: "Dallas Crown has been in business here for a long time. It's a good corporate citizen. We feel the mayor has unfairly singled us out."
For once, Kaufman and Dallas Crown are bystanders in the current debate over a new federal law that would allow wild horses to be sold for slaughter. While Dallas Crown has occasionally accepted individual wild horses, it doesn't expect a notable increase in business.
But that hasn't quieted the public debate in Kaufman about the plant's existence.
Livestock or pets?
Dallas Crown is involved in two pending lawsuits, one challenging a state law and another with the city over sewer usage. The debate over the state law is the more significant legal challenge, which has birthed dueling Web sites.
The root of the matter, both sides agree, is a simple question: Are horses considered livestock or pets?
"Horses are working animals and companion animals," Ms. Bacon said. "They are not a food crop in the United States. It's a huge cultural difference. It's like if you have to be a real grown-up, you have to go out and shoot the yearling."
Fort Worth attorney John Linebarger, who represents Dallas Crown and the Beltex slaughterhouse in Fort Worth, noted that several veterinary organizations support the plants as a humane way of culling the horse population. What happens to horses during the process isn't much different for the cows, pigs and chickens that find their way to supermarket meat counters.
Many Americans simply don't like the thought of Flicka or Trigger on a plate in Paris. And Dallas Crown's Belgian and Danish ownership doesn't elicit much sympathy in Texas.
"There's a cultural difference between us and the Europeans and the Asians," Mr. Linebarger said. "They don't have the same feelings about horsemeat that we do. It's an emotional issue for some groups.
"It would be nice if we could have a retirement home for every horse, dog and cat and none of them would ever have to be put to sleep. But it's just impossible."
The lawsuits
A little-known Texas statute dating to 1949 prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The law gained new prominence in August 2002 when its legality was affirmed by John Cornyn, the attorney general at the time. Opponents of the slaughterhouses hoped to use the law to shut down the two plants.
Soon after, Dallas Crown and Beltex received a temporary injunction in U.S. District Court to stay in business.
Mr. Linebarger argues that Texas doesn't have jurisdiction over interstate and international commerce, which are federal issues. Besides, he says, the state taxes and regulates the horse slaughter industry.
Federal Judge Terry Means has not issued a final ruling in the suit.
Separately, the city of Kaufman has accused Dallas Crown of violating a permit that allows it to discharge extra contaminants into the city's sewer system.
Last year, the city briefly shut off sewer service to the plant, only to have the plant obtain another temporary injunction, this one in state court. While the legal dispute drags on, Dallas Crown continues to operate. The plant says it is in compliance with the permit.
Ms. Bacon said it could cost the city $6 million if it is forced to upgrade the sewer facilities.
"Who in the hell thought it was a good idea to hang an animal slaughter plant on a sewer system designed to accommodate 6,000 people? It's ridiculous," said Mary Nash, whose family has owned land adjacent to Dallas Crown for 150 years.
Public opinion
Kaufman's town square recently featured as many trucks as passenger cars parked around the county courthouse. The Feed Store restaurant, which features pictures of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti Western days, drew a brisk lunch crowd.
A waitress said the plant's business and accompanying odor are regular topics. Other patrons said that getting a Wal-Mart and a McDonald's are bigger priorities.
Outside the restaurant, two local farmers illustrated opposing views of the slaughterhouse.
"This is a farming community," said Don Burt, who owns a spread outside Kaufman. "People understand how nature works. All animals die. Everything eventually dies.
"It's a humane way to deal with unwanted animals."
Forney-area farmer Jack Phillips said he wouldn't take any of his horses or mules to the plant. He would rather pay to have the animals put down.
"I'm not a big slaughter fan," he said.
The mayor, whose family has operated a local lumberyard since 1896, faces a May re-election challenge. She was once censured by the City Council for her activism. A high school teacher with a master's degree from Harvard and a well-used pickup, Ms. Bacon said most people support her position.
"It's a sad thing for a horse to end up in Kaufman," she said.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Grand Prairie makes plans for Salt Lick
Renowned Salt Lick restaurant planned for shores of Joe Pool Lake
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
GRAND PRARIE, Texas - A Hill Country institution is headed to North Texas.
The owners of Salt Lick barbecue restaurant near Austin plan to open one of their nationally famous eateries on the shores of Joe Pool Lake, featuring the restaurant's signature rock patio and open fire pit.
Construction is expected to begin within the year in Grand Prairie just west of Lake Ridge Parkway and north of the lake. Salt Lick owner Scott Roberts said the location nearly mirrors the Hill Country farmland where his father built the original restaurant 36 years ago.
"The city is offering us one of the only sites we have found in the metroplex that allows us to reconstruct what we have at Driftwood – being closer to an urban setting but still have a rural country feel," Mr. Roberts said.
The only difference, he said, is that the Grand Prairie site will include a bar. The Driftwood location cannot sell alcohol.
The new restaurant will be built on parkland the city leases from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Grand Prairie City Council members are expected to approve a sublease agreement Tuesday with Mr. Roberts.
The agreement calls for the city to contribute about $650,000 from its lake parks fund to pay for a parking area near the restaurant.
In return, the city will receive 5 percent of the restaurant's gross sales as a lease payment. Revenues will go into the lake parks fund and be used to develop ball fields and other amenities on the lake park properties.
"Any time you can get that kind of place located in our city, particularly out at the lake, with all the development going on, it's a home run for Grand Prairie," Mayor Charles England said.
The project includes a 7,000-square-foot restaurant that can accommodate about 275 diners inside, with an additional 1,600 square feet of outdoor dining space. There will also be a 5,000-square-foot climate-controlled pavilion for corporate gatherings, weddings, receptions and other events.
The Driftwood location, about 25 miles outside of Austin, is a popular destination for Central Texas visitors and residents alike. The fare has drawn the attention of The New York Times and cable television's Food Channel.
"We're very excited," said Rick Herold, Grand Prairie parks and recreation director. "It's one of the most celebrated and award-winning restaurants in Texas. I've been going down there for years."
The Driftwood restaurant typically draws crowds of about 2,000 people on Saturdays, requiring police to direct traffic. City officials are predicting that the Grand Prairie location will be just as popular.
Mr. Roberts and his wife, Susan Goff, also own two outposts of their Driftwood restaurant: a sandwich shop at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and an Austin restaurant that serves what he describes as "hearty frou-frou" cuisine, along with the famous barbecue.
Salt Lick was also selected to be part of Station Casino Inc.'s $475 million Red Rock Resort and Casino, currently under construction in Las Vegas.
But Mr. Roberts said that location will be owned and operated by the casino, with Salt Lick serving as a management consultant.
The Grand Prairie location will be operated just as the Driftwood location is. The new site will have a limestone exterior and tin roof, like the original. The limestone comes from the Roberts family's land in Driftwood.
"We've already started quarrying the rock for Grand Prairie," Mr. Roberts said. "That's the commitment Salt Lick has to do the project."
Renowned Salt Lick restaurant planned for shores of Joe Pool Lake
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
GRAND PRARIE, Texas - A Hill Country institution is headed to North Texas.
The owners of Salt Lick barbecue restaurant near Austin plan to open one of their nationally famous eateries on the shores of Joe Pool Lake, featuring the restaurant's signature rock patio and open fire pit.
Construction is expected to begin within the year in Grand Prairie just west of Lake Ridge Parkway and north of the lake. Salt Lick owner Scott Roberts said the location nearly mirrors the Hill Country farmland where his father built the original restaurant 36 years ago.
"The city is offering us one of the only sites we have found in the metroplex that allows us to reconstruct what we have at Driftwood – being closer to an urban setting but still have a rural country feel," Mr. Roberts said.
The only difference, he said, is that the Grand Prairie site will include a bar. The Driftwood location cannot sell alcohol.
The new restaurant will be built on parkland the city leases from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Grand Prairie City Council members are expected to approve a sublease agreement Tuesday with Mr. Roberts.
The agreement calls for the city to contribute about $650,000 from its lake parks fund to pay for a parking area near the restaurant.
In return, the city will receive 5 percent of the restaurant's gross sales as a lease payment. Revenues will go into the lake parks fund and be used to develop ball fields and other amenities on the lake park properties.
"Any time you can get that kind of place located in our city, particularly out at the lake, with all the development going on, it's a home run for Grand Prairie," Mayor Charles England said.
The project includes a 7,000-square-foot restaurant that can accommodate about 275 diners inside, with an additional 1,600 square feet of outdoor dining space. There will also be a 5,000-square-foot climate-controlled pavilion for corporate gatherings, weddings, receptions and other events.
The Driftwood location, about 25 miles outside of Austin, is a popular destination for Central Texas visitors and residents alike. The fare has drawn the attention of The New York Times and cable television's Food Channel.
"We're very excited," said Rick Herold, Grand Prairie parks and recreation director. "It's one of the most celebrated and award-winning restaurants in Texas. I've been going down there for years."
The Driftwood restaurant typically draws crowds of about 2,000 people on Saturdays, requiring police to direct traffic. City officials are predicting that the Grand Prairie location will be just as popular.
Mr. Roberts and his wife, Susan Goff, also own two outposts of their Driftwood restaurant: a sandwich shop at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and an Austin restaurant that serves what he describes as "hearty frou-frou" cuisine, along with the famous barbecue.
Salt Lick was also selected to be part of Station Casino Inc.'s $475 million Red Rock Resort and Casino, currently under construction in Las Vegas.
But Mr. Roberts said that location will be owned and operated by the casino, with Salt Lick serving as a management consultant.
The Grand Prairie location will be operated just as the Driftwood location is. The new site will have a limestone exterior and tin roof, like the original. The limestone comes from the Roberts family's land in Driftwood.
"We've already started quarrying the rock for Grand Prairie," Mr. Roberts said. "That's the commitment Salt Lick has to do the project."
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TexasStooge
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Woman eager to heal after face surgery
By JACQUIELYNN FLOYD / The Dallas Morning News
WACO, Texas - In as little as a month, Carolyn Thomas will be able to walk into a restaurant, order a meal and eat it.
Maybe in a year, she will be able to do it without attracting any notice or having anybody stare. She is on her way toward blessed ordinariness.
"I won't be able to have a steak right off," she said, "but it'll sure be better than what I've been having."
Carolyn, the survivor of a domestic-violence shooting that left her face a blasted ruin, still keeps her features covered with bandages.
But underneath, doctors have built the scaffolding for her new face.
Last month, in a surgery that lasted nearly 10 hours, a surgical team built her a lower jaw sculpted from a segment of bone from her leg.
Doctors said they are on their way to meeting what they call their "10-foot standard." Up close, scarring will be visible, but to the casual observer standing 10 feet away, the Waco woman will look no different from anyone else.
Carolyn first shared her story with The Dallas Morning News last September, when she was facing a life of permanent disfigurement. With her face shattered by a gunshot that destroyed her right eye, nose and lower jaw, she was unable to eat and required a trachea tube to breathe and to speak clearly.
Since then, she has been accepted into a medical program that will cover the enormous costs of reconstructive surgery. Carolyn's Houston-based surgical team is providing its services at no charge, and The Methodist Hospital in Houston is covering the costs of her hospitalization and care.
Along the way, she has become something of a celebrity. Shot point-blank by an ex-boyfriend in December 2003, police say, she spent more than a year with her ruined face hidden beneath a heavy bandage. Her story appeared most recently on Larry King Live, and she is the subject of an upcoming Discovery Channel documentary.
But she characteristically plays down the public aspect of her ordeal.
"I don't want to get too caught up in being on TV and stuff like that," she said. "But I do want to keep helping women be aware of domestic violence. That's the important thing."
February's surgery was just the first step, but it was a big one, said Dr. Eugene Alford, who leads the five surgeons Carolyn calls the "Dream Team."
"Her first surgery went better than we expected," Dr. Alford said, outlining the remarkable progress the team made: The surgeons built Carolyn a new lower jaw; they built her a new eye socket and created the framework for a new cheek and mouth.
By month's end, she may be able to start eating soft foods again. Since the shooting, she has had to feed herself liquid formula through a stomach tube. Doctors say she will probably need physical therapy to relearn how to swallow.
Carolyn has had to be tough. Her ex-boyfriend, Terrence Dewayne Kelly, is awaiting trial on a capital murder charge in the death of her mother, Janice Reeves, who was killed in the same rampage that disfigured Carolyn. She will be the state's primary witness.
Dr. Alford said the first and only time he saw a crack in Carolyn's optimism was in the days after her surgery.
"She was safe in the hospital. She was well-cared for," he said. "It was a comfortable place for her to be because she didn't feel different. When it came time for her to leave the hospital, she said, 'I don't want to go.' "
But when friends reminded her that her pets – a female pit-bull mix named Tanjy and twin parakeets named Stan and Jan – were waiting for her in Waco, Carolyn was overcome with homesickness and renewed strength.
"That's when she said, 'OK, I've got to go home,' " Dr. Alford said, laughing. "She is very, very strong."
Carolyn said when the homesickness caught up with her, it was worse than the pain of the surgery.
"Oh, man, I was so happy to get back home," she said last week from her Waco apartment after the marathon surgery and a week's hospital recovery. "I wanted to be back with my dog and my birds."
"She's just such a fighter," said Dione Jackson, a domestic-violence counselor who has also become Carolyn's affectionate friend. "I thought maybe she needed some time to rest after she got home, but she's already out and about."
Carolyn is scheduled to return to Houston for her second major surgery, expected in May. Doctors still aren't certain how many follow-up procedures will be required, but they expect their work to be complete within a year.
She's ready, and she's determined. Carolyn Thomas' resilience remains nothing short of miraculous. She said she relies on faith, friends and the support of countless well-wishers who have followed her story.
"I just want people to know that I'm coming along fine, and I want to thank them for their messages," Carolyn said. "You don't know how uplifting it is to hear those encouraging words."
By JACQUIELYNN FLOYD / The Dallas Morning News
WACO, Texas - In as little as a month, Carolyn Thomas will be able to walk into a restaurant, order a meal and eat it.
Maybe in a year, she will be able to do it without attracting any notice or having anybody stare. She is on her way toward blessed ordinariness.
"I won't be able to have a steak right off," she said, "but it'll sure be better than what I've been having."
Carolyn, the survivor of a domestic-violence shooting that left her face a blasted ruin, still keeps her features covered with bandages.
But underneath, doctors have built the scaffolding for her new face.
Last month, in a surgery that lasted nearly 10 hours, a surgical team built her a lower jaw sculpted from a segment of bone from her leg.
Doctors said they are on their way to meeting what they call their "10-foot standard." Up close, scarring will be visible, but to the casual observer standing 10 feet away, the Waco woman will look no different from anyone else.
Carolyn first shared her story with The Dallas Morning News last September, when she was facing a life of permanent disfigurement. With her face shattered by a gunshot that destroyed her right eye, nose and lower jaw, she was unable to eat and required a trachea tube to breathe and to speak clearly.
Since then, she has been accepted into a medical program that will cover the enormous costs of reconstructive surgery. Carolyn's Houston-based surgical team is providing its services at no charge, and The Methodist Hospital in Houston is covering the costs of her hospitalization and care.
Along the way, she has become something of a celebrity. Shot point-blank by an ex-boyfriend in December 2003, police say, she spent more than a year with her ruined face hidden beneath a heavy bandage. Her story appeared most recently on Larry King Live, and she is the subject of an upcoming Discovery Channel documentary.
But she characteristically plays down the public aspect of her ordeal.
"I don't want to get too caught up in being on TV and stuff like that," she said. "But I do want to keep helping women be aware of domestic violence. That's the important thing."
February's surgery was just the first step, but it was a big one, said Dr. Eugene Alford, who leads the five surgeons Carolyn calls the "Dream Team."
"Her first surgery went better than we expected," Dr. Alford said, outlining the remarkable progress the team made: The surgeons built Carolyn a new lower jaw; they built her a new eye socket and created the framework for a new cheek and mouth.
By month's end, she may be able to start eating soft foods again. Since the shooting, she has had to feed herself liquid formula through a stomach tube. Doctors say she will probably need physical therapy to relearn how to swallow.
Carolyn has had to be tough. Her ex-boyfriend, Terrence Dewayne Kelly, is awaiting trial on a capital murder charge in the death of her mother, Janice Reeves, who was killed in the same rampage that disfigured Carolyn. She will be the state's primary witness.
Dr. Alford said the first and only time he saw a crack in Carolyn's optimism was in the days after her surgery.
"She was safe in the hospital. She was well-cared for," he said. "It was a comfortable place for her to be because she didn't feel different. When it came time for her to leave the hospital, she said, 'I don't want to go.' "
But when friends reminded her that her pets – a female pit-bull mix named Tanjy and twin parakeets named Stan and Jan – were waiting for her in Waco, Carolyn was overcome with homesickness and renewed strength.
"That's when she said, 'OK, I've got to go home,' " Dr. Alford said, laughing. "She is very, very strong."
Carolyn said when the homesickness caught up with her, it was worse than the pain of the surgery.
"Oh, man, I was so happy to get back home," she said last week from her Waco apartment after the marathon surgery and a week's hospital recovery. "I wanted to be back with my dog and my birds."
"She's just such a fighter," said Dione Jackson, a domestic-violence counselor who has also become Carolyn's affectionate friend. "I thought maybe she needed some time to rest after she got home, but she's already out and about."
Carolyn is scheduled to return to Houston for her second major surgery, expected in May. Doctors still aren't certain how many follow-up procedures will be required, but they expect their work to be complete within a year.
She's ready, and she's determined. Carolyn Thomas' resilience remains nothing short of miraculous. She said she relies on faith, friends and the support of countless well-wishers who have followed her story.
"I just want people to know that I'm coming along fine, and I want to thank them for their messages," Carolyn said. "You don't know how uplifting it is to hear those encouraging words."
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TexasStooge
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Forums planned on race
Meetings to focus on improving relations as city grows more diverse
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - A series of public forums will be held this summer to discuss race relations in Irving.
The meetings will probably start in June or July in locations throughout the city, said René Castilla, facilitator of a committee that is organizing the forums.
The city's growing diversity is "lending itself to a lot of misunderstanding and lack of appreciation of the cultural richness in the city," he said.
The forums follow recent events that some say have fanned the flames of racial tensions, including a January traffic stop in which a Hispanic man says he was struck by an Irving police officer.
In addition, five black and five Hispanic students were involved in a fight this year at Irving High School. And results of a recent city survey included dozens of negative comments on Irving's increasing minority population.
One of the goals of the public meetings is to "find ways we can identify different issues within all of these differing groups," said Anthony Bond, a community activist. "We can work on them as a community and make them better."
Forum participants will be able to work together to improve race relations and act together to reach common goals, Mr. Castilla said.
Among the topics that will probably be discussed during the forums, organizers say, are race relations and law enforcement, including racial profiling; neighborhood revitalization; economic development and small businesses; and parental involvement in schools.
Residents, activists and community leaders gathered last week to plan for the forums.
City Council member James Dickens says he's interested in improving relationships among Irving residents. The forums should help, he said.
"It addresses the concerns of many of our citizens right now that they ... feel that the city of Irving may not be as ethnicity-sensitive as it should be," he said.
Mr. Castilla, executive dean of educational partnerships at North Lake College, has other ideas to improve relations among Irving's diverse population. He hopes an international festival could be organized each year to celebrate the city's cultural diversity.
"The only way we're going to bring about understanding is through some sort of celebration that opens up communication in a nonthreatening way," he said.
Meetings to focus on improving relations as city grows more diverse
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - A series of public forums will be held this summer to discuss race relations in Irving.
The meetings will probably start in June or July in locations throughout the city, said René Castilla, facilitator of a committee that is organizing the forums.
The city's growing diversity is "lending itself to a lot of misunderstanding and lack of appreciation of the cultural richness in the city," he said.
The forums follow recent events that some say have fanned the flames of racial tensions, including a January traffic stop in which a Hispanic man says he was struck by an Irving police officer.
In addition, five black and five Hispanic students were involved in a fight this year at Irving High School. And results of a recent city survey included dozens of negative comments on Irving's increasing minority population.
One of the goals of the public meetings is to "find ways we can identify different issues within all of these differing groups," said Anthony Bond, a community activist. "We can work on them as a community and make them better."
Forum participants will be able to work together to improve race relations and act together to reach common goals, Mr. Castilla said.
Among the topics that will probably be discussed during the forums, organizers say, are race relations and law enforcement, including racial profiling; neighborhood revitalization; economic development and small businesses; and parental involvement in schools.
Residents, activists and community leaders gathered last week to plan for the forums.
City Council member James Dickens says he's interested in improving relationships among Irving residents. The forums should help, he said.
"It addresses the concerns of many of our citizens right now that they ... feel that the city of Irving may not be as ethnicity-sensitive as it should be," he said.
Mr. Castilla, executive dean of educational partnerships at North Lake College, has other ideas to improve relations among Irving's diverse population. He hopes an international festival could be organized each year to celebrate the city's cultural diversity.
"The only way we're going to bring about understanding is through some sort of celebration that opens up communication in a nonthreatening way," he said.
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